| Absinthe Spoons IV - Les Tours Eiffel |
The famous absinthe spoons commemorating the opening of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. These spoons have been extensively
faked, and it can be difficult to distinguish real from counterfeit, especially just from photographs. A general rule of thumb:
genuine spoons always have the maker's mark crisply stamped (in almost all cases accompanied by a slight deformation
around the stamp where the metal has been stressed), whereas on the fakes the makers mark is molded, and appears less
sharp and distinct, with no stress marks on the surrounding metal.
To buy finely made modern replicas of these spoons, click here.
faked, and it can be difficult to distinguish real from counterfeit, especially just from photographs. A general rule of thumb:
genuine spoons always have the maker's mark crisply stamped (in almost all cases accompanied by a slight deformation
around the stamp where the metal has been stressed), whereas on the fakes the makers mark is molded, and appears less
sharp and distinct, with no stress marks on the surrounding metal.
To buy finely made modern replicas of these spoons, click here.
| Click on the thumbnail. |
| Les Tours Eiffel #1, with the vertical line or "nerve"at the top point (see enlargement), and the oval stamp "FZ Paris" (click on the thumbnail to see the maker's mark enlarged). Fakes of this variant have recently come on to the market |
| Genuine examples of the two most frequently faked spoons. The #1 has no "nerve" at the point, but the round makers mark "WJB Depose" on the handle is stamped, not molded, indicating a genuine spoon. The #3 has the "Guelon" mark often seen on faked spoons, but it is crisply stamped, not molded. Further, the dome of the pavillon does NOT touch the underneath of the arch of the tower, as it does on some of the counterfeits. |
| Les Tours Eiffel #4 with stamp: "Absinthe Suisse Superieure Guillemaud". Note that this model, unlike the normal #3 design, has two extra holes on either side of the tower. |
| Les Tours Eiffel #3a in an unusually thin "metal blanc". |
| Click on the thumbnail. |
| Les Tours Eiffel #6 "Silhouette". |
| Les Tours Eiffel #7 "1889" Click on the thumbnail to see an enlarged image. |
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| Les Tours Eiffel #8 "Grande Roue 1900" Shows the Ferris wheel erected near the Tour Eiffel for the 1900 World Expo. This is one of the very greatest rarities amongst absinthe spoons. Click on the images to enlarge. |