A beautiful French silver teaspoon (950 standard) in excellent condition with minimal wear to the bowl tip. The spoon bears six marks to the back of the stem from right to left (see photographs): a maker's mark in a diamond surround of a letter D surmounted by a cockerel; the "poinçon de l'an V" introduced in 1795; the mark of guarantee for medium articles (Paris provinces) introduced in 1798; the mark of a human right ear for the General Inventory of 1809 (Paris); the guarantee mark for Paris introduced in 1819 (this mark bears the corresponding bigorne mark on the front of the stem); and the mark indicating 950 fineness also introduced in 1819. These marks provide a fascinating example of the intricacies of the French assaying and marking systems, making this spoon a wonderful collectable piece. L: 5 3/8in/14cm; W: 23g.