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Day 12 – The Death Valley Spoon

It’s a little hard to read, but this spoon is from Death Valley in California. It has a picture of an adorable little covered wagon, which I’m assuming represents the idiots who tried to cross the desert in the winter of 1849. (Only one of them died.)

Death Valley is home to the Native American Timbisha tribe, formerly known as the Panamint Shoshone, who have inhabited the valley for at least the past millennium.

You know who else is in Death Valley? The ghost of old Joe Simpson, who was hanged by a lynch mob for murdering the town banker. He allegedly wanders what is left of the town Skidoo. Unlike Skidoo, however, this spoon doesn’t appear to be haunted.

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Day 11 – The Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Spoon

This spoon commemorates the 1897 diamond jubilee of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria. There’s a bust of Vicky herself at the top, along with her family’s heraldic shield and colors, and a globe reading, “60 years prosperity to 360 million people” with the years of her reign (1837-1897) just below.

Near the bowl, there’s a British lion and the words “Diamond Jubilee 1897” appear horizontally above. On the back of the spoon, below the Queen’s crown, there’s a thistle (representing Scotland), a poorly drawn platypus (presumably for Australia?), and the name of the spoon manufacturer, Sterling Silver Company (which is sort of a lie, since the spoon is silver plate).

The bowl has an etching of the battleship H.M.S. Camperdown, which is weird, because why would you want to celebrate a vessel that, in 1893 collided with—and accidentally sunk—the H.M.S. Victoria, a battleship named after your queen?

For a spoon that turns 120 years old this year, it’s not showing too many signs of wear and absolutely no indication of being haunted.

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