Small spoons for taking loose tea out of a caddy started to appear in the middle of the eighteenth century. The earliest seem to appear around 1760 and at this date tend to have a shell form bowl. From the 1780s onwards large quantities were produced in a extraordinary range of shapes and styles and decorative motifs. Many of the handles followed the contemporary flatware patterns for example Old English, Fiddle, Kings and Queens pattern. Additionally, spoons were made in the form of jockey’s caps, Eagles ‘wings, hands and leaves amongst many other shapes were made.
The caddy spoon is one of the most highly collected areas of the antique silver market and an almost infinite variety of shapes and forms can be purchased. Caddy spoons can be found that are hallmarked in Ireland and Scotland as well as London and all other provincial centres in England. The most common centre for production from the 1790s to the middle part of the nineteenth century was Birmingham where makers such as Samuel Pemberton, Thomas and Joseph Willmore and Joseph Taylor and many others seem to have specialised in their manufacture.
At William Walter Antiques we always have a fine selection of tea caddy spoons for use or to add to your collection.
