I know it looks like a Nickel Silver item but quite frankly it’s a bit of a conundrum, why would you put a serial number on an NS salt/mustard/condiment spoon and I love solving a mystery but this one has me stumped.
If any one has a clue to who made it much appreciated.
Normally sterling items that I deal with are very easy (pocket watches) but the world of tableware is less well trodden by me.
NS definitely stands for nickel silver with the manufacturers being J G Graves of Sheffield. The number is not a serial number but a design registration number (note that it begins with RD, the D being a superscript). I think that it is 356989. This was issued in 1900 so your spoon must date from then or afterwards.
Phil
Thanks greatly for that Phil, had thought that the first letters were probably the makers name but it didn’t pop up when I googled it.
Table ware is certainly an interesting rabbit hole to go down and previously I had a lot of enjoyment tracking down the providence of older English ware but this one had me scratching my head with the supposed serial but as you say more likely a Design Mark which makes a lot more sense.
The only reason for my purchasing it was the incongruousness of the numbers on what was plainly just a Nickle Silver item and I needed an answer to it 
Standard Silver in it’s various guises are relativly obvious as I get to deal with it a lot till of course you get to countries that dont subscribe to Silver standards.
Thanks again for that I can start some research now though you have pretty much covered it for me.
Graeme