Photo Credit: Arezona.store
Set of 1960s Enameled Soviet Silver Teaspoons
Buy It Now Price: $195 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)
Pros:
-Bright cloisonné enamel and lustrous gilding highlight this set of half a dozen vintage Soviet silver teaspoons from the 1960s.
-Each silver-gilt teaspoon measures 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) long and weighs 14.6 grams (0.47 troy ounces). The total weight of the set is 87.7 grams (2.82 troy ounces).
-These Soviet silver teaspoons feature cloisonné enamel, where individual enamel cells are built up using a wire frame. Cloisonné is one of the classic types of enamel-work and was very popular in Russia from the time of the Czars straight down to the modern day.
-According to the seller, these teaspoons were made in the major port city of Leningrad (modern-day St. Petersburg) in 1966. Unfortunately, the photos of the hallmarks are not clear enough to verify this attribution. However, we can definitively state that these genuine Soviet era teaspoons were fashioned from solid 87.5% silver sometime in the 1960s.
-Use your newfound Marxist credentials to impress your left-wing friends by showing off these mementos from the height of the communist Soviet Empire!
-Although the communist government in Russia banned the production of gold and silver items immediately after the 1917 Revolution, Joseph Stalin soon resurrected silversmithing in 1927. Rather than simply being reminders of indulgent bourgeois privilege, Stalin decided that silver luxury goods could best be used to reward loyal Party followers. He established 15 silver workshops spread out over the USSR, creating a thriving Soviet silversmithing industry.
-Vintage Soviet luxury goods are currently substantially undervalued. This is most likely because our first impression of the former Soviet Union is ugly concrete apartment blocks and long queues in barren stores. However, not every part of their material culture was subpar – a fact that antique collectors and investors are beginning to wake up to.
-This set of Soviet silver teaspoons would almost certainly have resided in the house of a Communist Party official or someone else who was similarly advantaged. I doubt the average Soviet citizen would have had access to something so luxurious.
-These Soviet silver teaspoons are still housed in their original fabric-lined box, complete with CCCP emblem! In addition, the entire set is in perfect condition. This is rather unusual for enamel work, which has a pronounced tendency to chip.
-Less than $200 for a magnificent set of enameled silver teaspoons from the 1960s glory days of the Soviet Empire? And housed in its original box, no less? This is simply a no-brainer in my opinion, especially given the fact that the seller is willing to entertain lower offers.
Cons:
-As noted above, the photos of the hallmarks are a bit on the blurry side. I have absolutely no reason to believe this set of Soviet silver teaspoons is anything other than what it claims to be, but being able to verify it via the hallmarks would have been ideal.
Read more fascinating Antique Sage antique silver spotlight posts here.
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