Teaspoons. A teaspoon is a small spoon suitable for stirring and sipping the contents of a cup of tea or coffee, or adding a portion of loose sugar to it. These spoons have heads more or less oval in shape. Teaspoons are a common part of a place setting.

Teaspoons with longer handles, such as iced tea spoons, are commonly used also for ice cream desserts or floats. Similar spoons include the tablespoon and the dessert spoon, the latter intermediate in size between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, used in eating dessert and sometimes soup or cereals. Much less common is the coffee spoon, which is a smaller version of the teaspoon, intended for use with the small type of coffee cup. Another teaspoon, called an orange spoon (in American English: grapefruit spoon), tapers to a sharp point or teeth, and is used to separate citrus fruits from their membranes. A bar spoon, equivalent to a teaspoon, is used in measuring ingredients for mixed drinks.

A container designed to hold extra teaspoons, called a spooner, usually in a set with a covered sugar container, formed a part of Victorian table service.

The teaspoon is first mentioned in an advertisement in a 1686 edition of the London Gazette. Reference: Wikipedia

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Sugar tongs were designed to pick up cubes of sugar and date back to the mid eighteenth century. They are sometimes referred to as sugar nips, however, sugar nips were originally used to break off pieces of sugar from sugar-loaf.

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Sugar Sifter Spoons can be found in a variety of styles. They can be found either as an item in a canteen or on its own. Handles can be plain, patterned or novelty and the bowls can be very intricate in their design. The Sugar Sifter Spoon was first introduced around 1770.

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Seal Top Spoons are the most commonly found spoons from the 16th and 17th Centuries. They vary in length and design but the tops are always flat with a disc at the end in the form of a seal.

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Caddy Spoons were, and still are, used to scoop a measure of tea from a caddy into a pot. They come in various shapes and designs and are one of the most collectible spoons available. They were first used from around the 1750’s. Prior to 1781, Caddy Spoons and other small spoons which were produced by London Makers were only hallmarked with the Lion Passant for Sterling and the Makers Initials therefore it can be quite hard to date these early examples.

English examples were developed in the mid 18th century when the Chinese tea bottle was superseded by the tea caddy, having an opening large enough to accommodate a small spoon to dispense and measure the tea and when the cover (the thimble top) was no longer used as a measure. Caddy spoons were always required to be hallmarked, being excluded from the exemption of the English act of 1790 relating to small articles. Reference: Victoria and Albert Museum

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Berry Spoons can be found in many sizes. They would usually be used for serving soft fruits and the bowls are often highly decorated with embossed fruits, hence the name Berry Spoon. The bowls are usually gilded or partly gilded to protect the silver from the fruit acids. They are very collectible usually having beautifully engraved stems. The Berry Spoon came into use around 1840 but the Victorians often took Georgian Spoons and changed them to due to the fashions of the time.

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Apostle Spoons were a popular and fashionable Christening Gift in Tudor and Stuart times. A full set of twelve was a very valuable gift. Some sets had thirteen and these included a spoon called “The Master” as it depicted the figure of Christ. It is virtually impossible to find a complete set with the Master nowadays. However, many sets of six were made in Victorian times. Single Apostle spoons can also be found. London Apostle spoons are marked with a leopard’s head in the bowl, near the base of the stem, and those made in the province carry the town or city marks in the same position. All other identifying marks are found on the reverse of the stem.

The other twelve apostles consist of St. Andrew, St. Bartholomew, St. James The Greater, St. James The Less, St. John, St. Jude, St. Matthias, St. Matthew, St. Paul, St. Philip, St. Simon Zelotes and St. Thomas and are identified by the emblem he is carrying. St Paul and St. James are the most frequently encountered. St. Paul is the patron saint of London.

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