Dear Helaine and Joe: I have exhausted my resources and have gotten nowhere. A friend suggested I write you for information. In the early 1970s my uncle found this silverware at a flea market and bought it for my grandmother. She died shortly thereafter, and the set came to me. There are 155 pieces in a wooden case.
It is gold in color with "Siam" written on the back.
Any information would be appreciated. Thank you. — T.J.
Dear T.J.: The name "Siam" conjures up images of the exotic East, and perhaps the popular musical about the teacher named Anna and her flirtation with the king.
The Thai people founded the Kingdom of Nanchao in the Yunan Province of China around 650 A.D. In 1253, the Mongols destroyed Nanchao and the Thai people moved into the Menam Valley, which was controlled by the Khmer Empire at the time. A new Thai nation began to emerge, and the Khmers were expelled in fairly short order, but not before the Thais had adopted the Khmer alphabet.
Siam is said to be the only Southeast Asian country that did not fall under the influence of Western governments during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and is an independent monarchy to this day. The name of the country was changed from "Siam" to "Thailand" in 1949, but more correctly, the new name was "Pathet Thai," which means "kingdom of the free."
Normally, we would say that an object marked "Siam" had to have been made before 1949, but experience has taught us that the name "Siam" has continually been used on items made in Thailand right up to the present day. Modern objects are routinely marked "Siam" and this older name is not an indication of how old a given piece happens to be.
In the case of the flatware belonging to T.J., it was made during the era of the Vietnam War, and the name "Siam" is a bit misleading for a set that was made in the mid- to late 1960s or even a bit later. American soldiers on R&R in Bangkok routinely sent these sets home or brought them back to the United States when their tour of duty ended.
We have seen literally hundreds of these sets that came to the United States in this manner, and we have absolutely no reason to believe that this particular grouping is any earlier. These pieces were made from lightly gilded brass or bronze with wooden handles, and they have the image of the Buddha at the top of the various pieces. This is appropriate since Hinayana Buddhism is the state religion of Thailand.
These sets are very interesting-looking, but so far, collectors have shown very little desire to own them and they are extremely difficult to sell for more than a very modest amount of money. Just for a lark, we checked eBay and found three pieces of the serving utensils selling for less than $8, and actually, our experience with this ware told us that this was a relatively high price.
Large sets of this flatware are generally priced for less than $200, and sums closer to $100 are more realistic. We will not say that these sets will never be valuable, but there are large numbers of them available, and this should keep the price down for decades to come.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.