The Mystery Spoon

No, I couldn't leave it alone. Here is a side by side comparison of:

The A & C Feldenheimer spoon from CW S&T user Jazzres' story 328350
An Alvin Raleigh (Sterling, 1900) bouillon spoon
An Alvin Raleigh (Sterling, 1900) cream soup spoon
An Alvin Raleigh (Sterling, 1900) salt spoon.

All images used to make the composite comparison image were cropped, rotated, background removed, and resized as needed for this comparison.

OK, maybe I didn't get the resizing perfect, but I think it's close enough for most people to see that while the decor is the same, the proportions of these round-bowled spoons are not the same.

Who originated this design? I don't know, really. If I had to choose between Alvin and A & C Feldenheimer, I'd choose Alvin.

If you look at Alvin patterns at replacements dot com, there are over 300, and there are 78 with "Sterling" and a year in the name (years ranging from 1899 to 1969). At the time of this writing, Replacements has exactly one A. & C. Feldenheimer pattern, and it's a souvenir spoon.

In particular, the Worthpoint writeups about Alvin were pretty convincing as to its importance (in particular, the interest of silver giant Gorham).

It's possible that Alvin didn't originate this design, because they were known to recreate USA colonial era designs (USA design patents didn't exist until 1842); however, Alvin Raleigh (Sterling, 1900) doesn't strike me as a colonial style.

Gorham bought Alvin in 1928 after the passing of its founder, and continued to make flatware under the Alvin name. They might well have modified the Raleigh (Sterling, 1900) pattern to make a spoon with a larger bowl.

A & C Feldenheimer held an auction starting 30 September, 1935 to liquidate their stock and close, and indeed, A. & C. Feldenheimer appears to have closed by the end of 1935.

Charles Feldenheimer died May 4, 1939, and Albert Feldenheimer died December 30, 1942.

Paul (son of Albert) Feldenheimer, Inc. opened a jewelry store 20 March 1936.

Paul Feldenheimer, Inc. was bought out by the Zell Brothers, and closed Saturday, December 29, 1945.

The interview with Julius Zell is quite interesting even if it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. He opined that Albert and Charles decided to liquidate their business so that they could retire, because there was nobody among their heirs who could carry on, either because they had no interest in the jewelry and silver business, or because they lacked the necessary drive. Albert's son Paul was described by Zell as "very meek."

Former WWI soldier Paul Feldenheimer might have been 'meek' with regard to business; however, he sounded far from meek in his wife Edith's description of their courtship. It doesn't sound like he behaved like a wolf, but seemed patiently determined and confident that she would marry him.

Anyway, A. & C. Feldenheimer might well have contracted with Gorham to make some Raleigh silverware with an A & C Feldenheimer hallmark on them some time between 1928 and 1936.

I couldn't find a picture of an A & C Feldenheimer hallmark with the intertwined initials of the Feldenheimer brothers in a shield, but I did find a picture of an A & C Feldenheimer hallmark on the back of a souvenir spoon with a salmon-shaped handle.

Trying to trace Alvin founder William H. (Haywood) Jamouneau was interesting. He was born in England in 1861, and was probably of French Huguenot ancestry. I couldn't find a death date for him, but he was still alive and kicking in 1926, because he attended the 40th anniversary celebration of the Alvin Silver Co. held in Sag Harbor, NY.

I found a picture of the Alvin hallmark on the back of an Alvin Raleigh bouillon spoon.

A brief timeline of the Feldenheimer and Alvin silver businesses:

FELDENHEIMER

1868 Stone jewelry store founded by B.L. (Bernhard Lichtenstein) Stone
1876 Albert Feldenheimer went to work for Stone.
1884 Albert Feldenheimer bought the Stone store, and began operations as A. Feldenheimer
1899 Charles Feldenheimer moved to Portland from Moberly
1900 A. & C. Feldenheimer founded
1935 A. & C. Feldenheimer closed
1936 Paul Feldenheimer Inc. opened
1945 Paul Feldenheimer Inc. closes

ALVIN

1886 Alvin Mfg. Co. founded by Wm. H. Jamouneau
1894 Alvin-Beiderhase Co.
1919 Alvin Silver Co.
1928 Alvin Corp. under Gorham ownership

I'm marking this as an Unsolved Mystery, because I never found an exact twin for the A & C Feldenheimer spoon. What an interesting rabbit hole, though.

IMAGE REFERENCES:

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/328350-the-demitasse-espresso-spoon-of-george-o

https://www.replacements.com/silver-alvin-raleigh-sterling-1900-round-bowl-soup-spoon-bouillon/p/108271

https://www.replacements.com/silver-alvin-raleigh-sterling-1900-round-bowl-soup-spoon-cream-soup/p/38470731

https://www.replacements.com/silver-alvin-raleigh-sterling-1900-individual-salt-spoon/p/38479651

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/rare-feldenheimer-sterling-salmon-spoon

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134446817623

http://www.newspapers.com (a screen capture of a search that returned two December 30, 1945 Oregon Daily Journal images about Paul Feldenheimer, Inc., reflecting that it closed Saturday 29, 1945, and that they had carried Gorham silver).

GENERAL REFERENCES:

http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/feldenhe961gbs.txt

http://www.imperialhalfbushel.com/SouvenirSpoons&c.htm

https://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=210275#p210275

https://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42556&hilit=Beiderhase&start=160

https://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42556&start=160

https://archive.org/stream/jewelerscircular00unse_13/jewelerscircular00unse_13_djvu.txt

https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv708384/

https://content.libraries.wsu.edu/digital/collection/wsuvan1/id/1896/

https://content.libraries.wsu.edu/digital/collection/wsuvan1/id/1902/

https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/wastate/id/2101/

https://history.foote-family.com/jamoun1.htm

https://oregonlive.newspapers.com/newspage/1090566017/

https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/2012260361/1885-05-01/ed-1/seq-32/

https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn83045782/1922-12-10/ed-1/seq-7/

https://patents.google.com/patent/US831074/en

https://sortedbyname.com/letter_j/jamouneau.html

https://sterlingflatwarefashions.com/silvermiths-category/abbott-to-american/

https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=213144#p213144

https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42556&start=100

https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42556&start=160

https://www.aaa.si.edu/download_pdf_transcript/ajax?record_id=edanmdm-AAADCD_oh_212429

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144074826/bernhard_l-stone

https://www.geni.com/people/Albert-Abraham-Feldenheimer/6000000021239436826

https://www.geni.com/people/Kappel-Charles-Feldenheimer/6000000021187135258

https://www.geni.com/people/Paul-Feldenheimer/6000000099606237821

https://www.myheritage.com/names/william_jamouneau

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1082011648/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1082013750/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1083387078/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1084457953

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1090535195/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1091289747/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1091467045/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1091472839/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1091522547/

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/80167292

https://www.ojmche.org/oral-history-people/julius-zell/

https://www.smpub.com/ubb/Forum13/HTML/001263.html

https://www.smpub.com/ubb/Forum13/HTML/001266.html

https://www.worthpoint.com/dictionary/p/metals/manufacturers---north-america/alvin-corporation-providence-rhode-island-post1850

https://www.worthpoint.com/dictionary/p/metals/silver-plated/alvin-corporation-silver-plate