Post-Revolutionary War to Civil War
USS Constitution “Old Ironsides” Silver Table Spoon
c. 1825-30, USS Constitution “Old Ironsides” Related, Decorative Large Silver Table Spoon, “CONSTITUTION” Above a Federal Eagle, with Hallmark of Robert and William Wilson of Philadelphia, Choice Extremely Fine.
This original, Large Decorative and Hallmarked American Silver Table Spoon measures about 9.25” long, with the bowl measuring 1.75” wide and 3.25” long with a Federal Eagle design .75” tall on the face side of the “Fiddle” handle end below the word “CONSTITUTION”.

The American Silver maker identified to his punch hallmark: “R & W W” is Robert and William Wilson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To our best knowledge this spoon was made circa 1825-30. It is extremely clean bright silver in color having been well preserved. It shows light actual wear from use, extremely impressive in appearance and there are no defects.

Robert and William Wilson (Robert&Williamwilson) were well known and highly regarded for their excellent workmanship. They were Silver Manufacturers (c. 1825-1846). This pattern’s Status is “Discontinued” shown as being circa 1825. The style of Pattern: R2W4 (COIN) by ROBERT & WILLIAM WILSON, with the official description listed as: COIN SILVER, PA, 1825, with FIDDLE, WINGS.

Provenance: Estate of Helen Coolidge Woodring, daughter of Marcus A Coolidge (Senator, Mass.), and wife of Harry H. Woodring (former Governor of Kansas and Secretary of War (1936-40) under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to the present owner.

This cataloger wishes to acknowledge and thank the fine experts at the USS Constitution Museum, Building 22, Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts. According to the curators at that museum, the example of Silverware from Isaac Hull in their museum collection has a much different design and is slightly smaller, being made from the hand of Baldwin Gardiner, c. 1830. Their spoon displays a chest up portrait of a dog, within a wreath of laurels. The USS Constitution museum itself holds no examples of this current design.

The USS Constitution is one of the First Frigates built for the United States Navy. Launched in 1797, it was 204 ft (62 m) long and usually carried more than 50 guns and a crew of over 450. It was the successful flagship of the Tripolitan War (1801–05), and in the War of 1812 it vanquished the British frigate Guerrière; tradition holds that it was nicknamed by sailors who saw the British shot failing to penetrate its oak sides. It was condemned as unseaworthy in 1828, but Oliver Wendell Holmes's poem “Old Ironsides” sparked a public preservation campaign. Restored in 1927–31, it is now berthed in Boston and open to the public.
The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship in the U.S. Navy and is still on display in Boston Harbor.