The earliest English silver spoons were made in the 13th and 14th centuries and the shapes of the bowls tended to be of a much more rounded form than one would see on spoons today.
This basic bowl shape persisted right up to the Charles II period (1660). Spoons of the period 1250-1660 are virtually all plain bowled with plain stems and about 6-7.25 inches(15-18cms) in length with a few later examples of a more decorative nature.
What distinguishes them is the finial (the end of the spoon). A huge variety of finials were produced ranging from at the earliest dates tiny acorns, diamond points, seal tops and representations of the apostles. Spoons of this period are rare as they were generally produced as singles and had a very much more presentational aspect, whereas spoons by the eighteenth century were made in much larger sets and were in most cases purely for use.
From a cost aspect a large tablespoon from the eighteenth century can normally (unless they have a rare provincial mark) be purchased from £50-£200 but some of the extremely rare pre-Elizabethan spoons can be worth well over £20,000 per piece. At this level, a difference in the type of finial and say a matter of 50 years can make a huge difference.
Here at William Walter Antiques we have the largest selection of sixteenth and seventeenth spoons for sale in the world – including a set of 12 apostle spoons – the rarest and finest Tudor period silver for sale this century.