Souvenir spoons

A spoon is a utensil consisting of a small, shallow bowl at the end of a handle, used primarily for serving and eating liquid, or semi-liquid foods, and solid foods such as rice and cereal which cannot easily be lifted with a fork. more...

Home
Antiquities
Architectural & Garden
Asian Antiques
Books, Manuscripts
Decorative Arts
Ethnographic
Furniture
Maps, Atlases, Globes
Maritime
Musical Instruments
Other Antiques
Primitives
Rugs, Carpets
Science & Medicine
Silver
Coin Silver
Silverplate
Sterling
Bowls
Boxes
Candlesticks, Candelabra
Cups, Goblets
Dishes
Flatware
Alvin
Dominick & Haff
Durgin
Georg Jensen
Gorham, Whiting
International/1847 Rogers
Kirk
Lunt
Manchester
Oneida/Wm. A. Rogers
Other Brands
Reed & Barton
Royal Crest, Castle
Stieff
Tiffany
Towle
Unknown
Wallace
Watson
Westmorland
Miniatures
Napkin Rings, Clips
Other Sterling
Pitchers, Vases, Jugs
Platters, Trays
Salt Cellars, S&P Shakers
Souvenir spoons
Sugar Bowls, Tongs
Teapots & Sets
Vases, Urns
Textiles, Linens

Spoons are also used in cooking to measure and mix ingredients.

History

From the derivation of the word the earliest northern European spoon would seem to have been a chip or splinter of wood; Greek references point to the early and natural use of shells, such as those that are still used by primitive peoples. Preserved examples of various forms of spoons used by the ancient Egyptians include those composed of ivory, flint, slate and wood; many of them carved with religious symbols. The spoons of the Greeks and Romans were chiefly made of bronze and silver and the handle usually takes the form of a spike or pointed stem. There are many examples in the British Museum from which the forms of the various types can be ascertained, the chief points of difference being found in the junction of the bowl with the handle.

Medieval spoons for domestic use were commonly made of horn or wood, but brass, pewter, and latten (copper alloy) spoons appear to have been common in about the 15th century. The full descriptions and entries relating to silver spoons in the inventories of the royal and other households point to their special value and rarity. The earliest English reference appears to be in a will of 1259. In the wardrobe accounts of Edward I for the year 1300 some gold and silver spoons marked with the fleur-de-lis, the Paris mark, are mentioned. One of the most interesting medieval spoons is the coronation spoon used in the anointing of the English sovereign.

The sets of Apostle Spoons, popular as christening presents in Tudor times, the handles of which terminate in heads or busts of the apostles, are a special form to which antiquarian interest attaches. The earlier English spoon-handles terminate in an acorn, plain knob or a diamond; at the end of the 16th century, the baluster and seal ending becomes common, the bowl being fig-shaped. During The Restoration, the handle becomes broad and flat, the bowl is broad and oval and the termination is cut into the shape known as the pied de biche, or hinds foot.

Read more at Wikipedia.org