Hello, I’ve got a collection of items to try and gain some knowledge on, one of which is this long handled
Fork like thing.
I believe it is dated London 1797 and has a faded makers mark of PB with letters below that cannot be made out so I presume this is Peter Bateman and Ann Bateman.
It weighs 98g and is just under 30cm long.
Can anyone confirm that my presumptions are correct and do you have any idea if it has any value above scrap metal price?
Kind regards.
This was originally a spoon which has at some time been adapted into a fork. As it is somewhat of a hybrid some people call them sporks. Salad fork will do - especially if that’s what you use it for. Its original assay date was, as you suggest, 1797 and I agree Peter & Ann Bateman as the makers.
Strangely enough there does seem to be a market for them with a couple selling recently on eBay in the £30-£45 range.
Many thanks for your response. Do you think EBay is the best way to sell these items?
Regards, Alistair.
This is strange indeed. Doesn’t a classic salad for have three prongs? I thought a spork was invented modernly? Shows how much I know, always learning something! Thanks for sharing, I hope you have some luck selling it.