This spoon has a very nice 1891 silver Spanish Alphonso X111 coin, but
the back has been erased and replaced with an engraved design.
This technique of removing the back of the coin was popular in the 1890
time period and many silver coins were turned into 'love tokens'.
Alfonso XIII (1886-1931): The son of Alfonso
XII, ruled up to 1902 under the regency of his mother. The
coinage depicts the growth of the king from a bay to a young monarch.
Although some beneficial changes were undertaken, Spain sustained many
losses. The Spanish-American War with the United States, 1898,
put an end to Spain's rule in the New World. It lost Cuba, Puerto
Rico, and the Philippines. Alfonso was forced to abdicate in 1931, and
the Second Republic was proclaimed.
The bowl contains a nice engraved picture of Morro Castle
Morro Castle (Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro) is a
picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay in Havana,
Cuba. Juan Bautista Antonelli, an Italian engineer, was commissioned to
design the structure. When it was built in 1589, Cuba was under the
control of Spain. The castle was named after the biblical Magi.
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