Simultaneously with this form, simple and utilitarian, was what is termed the “old English,” which is found in the middle of the eighteenth century. The handle was bent back and the rat-tail became a crop.
The fiddle pattern in common use to-day was a late eighteenth-century innovation. There is nothing beautiful in the ears of the fiddle pattern, which might well be lopped off.
It will be seen that the history of spoons is a long one and complicated by fashions. Nor is the study lightened by the various usages to which spoons may be put. It may readily be imagined that the use of coffee and tea brought the small spoon into commoner use. To-day the dainty spoon at five o’clock tea is a modern usage. But there is some suggestion that in eighteenth-century days the spoon of fashion was trivial in character in comparison with the larger spoons in use.
Pope, the man of the town and depicter of the _beau monde_, has the lines:
Or o’er cold coffee trifle with the spoon, Count the slow clock and dine exact at noon,
suggesting the dilettante late at breakfast. Evidently the spoons were at that date made for toying and corresponded with our modern tea and coffee spoons.
Something should be said of the manner of marking spoons. The positions of the hall-marks are worthy of the collector’s notice. Before the Restoration, and for some time afterwards, the leopard’s head was placed inside the bowl, as is shown in the illustrations we give of various examples. During the reign of Charles II the style of marking may be said to be transitional. In the early years some examples have all the marks on the handle. Even towards the last years of the reign other examples have the leopard’s head in the bowl and the rest of the marks on the handle. After this the marks appear on the handle, and about 1781 they were placed at the end of the handle instead of close to the bowl, as was the former practice.
It is impossible to fix prices. In July 1903 a set of thirteen with hall-mark for 1536 realized £4,900.
Single specimens may roughly be valued as follows: Fifteenth century, anything from £50 to £300; sixteenth century, from £30 to £100; seventeenth century, £3 to £40. Six spoons (1631) brought £280 and a pair (1622) only £7. “Fakes” are abundant in this class.