Once in a while, a sterling spoon was made to honor a particular invention. Most of the spoons of this nature are silver plated and are typically associated with consumer products.
The Pintsch spoon is one of the few sterling spoons which fall into this category.
This very pretty 5.5" sugar shell is a "sleeper" unless you are familiar with the interesting story behind it.
Natural gas was a big new invention which was being used to create light at night. Today we take light for granted, and it is readily available at the flip of a switch. But around 1900, once the sun set, everything was thrown into the dark, unless one used a fire, a candle, or an oil lamp. These sources provided minimal illumination and it was extremely difficult to do anything in the dark. Reading was particularly hard on the eyes. Fires were dangerous and provided a flickering light. A candle was a very small source of light and also flickered. Oil lamps were better, but were expensive to use and maintain. Natural gas provided a nice light, but was only available in very limited areas which had access to natural gas and the pipelines to carry it into the home (rare).
Furthermore, natural gas could only be used in a stationary source. Railroad cars could not use this type of lighting because the constant movement of the car caused the light to extinguish. Thus travelers at night could only sleep.
Julius Pintsch, of Berlin, came to the rescue. "Briefly stated, Pintsch gas is a fixed gas manufactured from naphtha, which, after being thoroughly purified, is compressed into storage tanks, and from them drawn off through an automatic regulator, which reduces it to the pressure of one-third of an ounce per square inch, at which it is used at the burners.". By the use of this invention, railroad travel at night became a much more desireable experience and this setup could also be used in places where natural gas was not available.
Notice the gas tank. If you look at your home propane barbecue, you will find that it uses the exact same principles as did the Pintsch setup.
Bowl--Pintsch--lighting the way