That mark seems to be from Benjamin Hurd, a silversmith in Boston MA between 1761 and 1769...
WOW! They dont call him Capt Silver for nothing! Great fast ID and wonderful find! Talk about Early American hallmarked Silver! Thats about as early as a guy can get!
Lets hear some more about this Benjamin Hurd Silversmith! The damn guy was right in the thick of things! I wonder who his client for this buckle was? Geo Washington? Hell..he might of even trained Paul Revere! Certainly knew him...
Died young..I wonder from what? You really have something there CD! Shudders to think about you are the first person to hold that Historic Americana item in a long time..How'd the guy lose a shoe I wonder? This kind of find is what dreams are made of...
That mark seems to be from Benjamin Hurd, a silversmith in Boston MA between 1761 and 1769...
That mark seems to be from Benjamin Hurd, a silversmith in Boston MA between 1761 and 1769...
Wow! That’s awesome! Congrats again!
WOW! They dont call him Capt Silver for nothing! Great fast ID and wonderful find! Talk about Early American hallmarked Silver! Thats about as early as a guy can get!
Lets hear some more about this Benjamin Hurd Silversmith! The damn guy was right in the thick of things! I wonder who his client for this buckle was? Geo Washington? Hell..he might of even trained Paul Revere! Certainly knew him...
Died young..I wonder from what? You really have something there CD! Shudders to think about you are the first person to hold that Historic Americana item in a long time..How'd the guy lose a shoe I wonder? This kind of find is what dreams are made of...
Fantastic! Amazing find and info.
Wow, keep us posted. I took a look at your album of the full thing. Nice find! That is pretty amazing.
a little info about Benjamin Hurd
It seems that his pieces are really scarce, most of his hallmarks are on spoons!
Like his brother Nathaniel, he followed their father's craft, but was not of age when his father died. He was an engraver as well as a goldsmith. A teapot and baptismal basins in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, are among the few pieces, mostly spoons, known today. The basin in Halifax perhaps explains his presence there; his return on August 7, 1769 was noted in the Boston Records, vol. 29, p. 317. Hurd died, apparently intestate, on June 2, 1781 and is buried in the Granary Burial Ground in Boston not far from his brother-in-law, Daniel Henchman. The inventory of his shop tools included "1 Large Spoon Teast / 1 Large Spoon punch / 1 ditto ditto / 1 Child's spoon punch / 4 Tea spoon punch / 1 spoon swage or stake." His "Shop Tools & Furniture" were appraised by Benjamin Burt and Zachariah Brigden; Thomas Clarke and John Hurd were appraisers of the "House Furniture". 10
Digging up and reading history of the people behind the items we find is fascinating.
Thanks for posting about Benjamin Hurd.