Before the mid 1800's, there were no silver mines in the US. Silver coins and spoons, etc, were melted down from other objects - foreign currency, silver bars, candlesticks etc.

It was said that the artisans had to "reach into their pocket" to find the raw materials to make these objects, so coin silver became the term for anything made from scrap silver, containing less than 20% sterling.

These spoons are thin, almost bendable, and have a character of their own. I use them a lot on food shoots. They vary in size, texture, and style but have a primitive handmade quality to them even with the beautiful engraved monograms.