Came across this spoon in that had been packed away for quite some time, their is only one. Any info would be appreciated.
I’ll stick my 5 pennies in and hope I’m right !!! ![]()
Exeter c1846, Robert Williams & sons, Robert, James, & Josiah Williams
. Possibly a Basting or Stuffing spoon.
Always good to see west country product. The Williams family of Bristol practically single handedly kept the Exeter assay office alive until 1883.
The exhibitor suggests long-handled, but I’m wondering if it might be an egg, mustard or salt spoon judging by the relative size of the hallmarks?
The teardrop-shaped bowl, typically about 16 grams, was used in sets as egg spoons and, if singles or pairs, as mustard spoons. The longer handled ones were for the deeper mustard containers often associated with cruet sets and the more proportional handles for the standard silver mustard pot of the 18th or 19th century with a Bristol glass container inside. The spoon bowls would be gilded to resist the sulphur of the boiled egg.
Sometimes these spoons are also referred to as salt spoons and indeed that is what a lot of them got used for; to remove salt from the cauldron or navette-shaped salt pots and heap it on the side of a plate.
This was the Georgians and Victorians being elegant as the pots were originally designed to site at each place setting and have the meat or veg dipped in the salt content. Less elegant perhaps but more practical. We have to remember until it was discovered adding iodine to the salt crystals it would clump and be quite un-pourable.
The Americans adapted quickly to this new pour capability and did away with salt pots and the associated spoons completely.
CRWW
Here’s a set of six spoons with similar shaped bowls by Paul Storr.
The estimate, topping out at fifty quid a piece, is probably on the conservative side as Storr routinely fetches double what equally well made spoons by anybody else fetches. The scrap on these is £263.00. so I would expect them to fetch about £100 over that plus the buyer’s premium.
CRWW



