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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 American Silver before sterling
 A Couple Nice Little Spoons
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| Author | Topic: A Couple Nice Little Spoons |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 11-14-2008 12:07 AM
  
Here are a couple of three and three quarters inches long spoons that were recently purchased in Norfolk, Virginia very near the location they were probably originally sold. Did spoons of this style and in this size have a particular purpose? Thank you in advance. IP: Logged |
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Dale Posts: 2132 |
posted 11-14-2008 12:16 AM
They look like salts spoons but that sounds a tad long. IP: Logged |
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agphile Posts: 798 |
posted 11-14-2008 04:52 AM
In England this bowl shape is most usual for mustard spoons. IP: Logged |
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Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 11-14-2008 09:02 AM
I belive they are egg spoons. They are not all that common in American coin silver, BUT I did have a set of Mitchell & Tyler egg spoons much like yours. Maybe boiled eggs were unusually popular in the Tidewater area? Anyway, if it were just a single one might think it was a mustard spoon, but in sets it must be an eating utensil. Brent IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 11-14-2008 10:09 AM
Eggs spoons have this form and many times the bowl is gold washed to protect the silver. I have seen the same shaped bowl with a longer handle and that maybe a condiment spoon of some type. IP: Logged |
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ellabee Posts: 306 |
posted 11-14-2008 09:52 PM
Maybe childrens' egg spoons (for soft-boiled eggs)? Anything under four inches seems a little small for adult hands, even back when people were significantly smaller. IP: Logged |
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argentum1 Posts: 602 |
posted 11-14-2008 10:27 PM
They are mustard spoons. Egg spoons would be larger. About the size of a regular spoon. IP: Logged |
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Marc Posts: 414 |
posted 11-15-2008 01:45 AM
Hi guys, These are way cool and they are master salt spoons.. They are much to small (smaller than a demitasse spoon) to be useful to eat anything. The egg spoons I have usually are 5" long. As for salt spoons in groups, I have had sets of 4, 6 and one time even 8 that matched. Always nice to find great silver in Portsmouth. Marc IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 11-16-2008 01:14 PM
Thank you all for your comments. I am leaning towards salts spoons because one of the replacement companies states that salt spoons are as large as these, and egg spoons are not listed as being much under four and a quarter inches (and at the same acknowledging that flatware sizes change with time). The bowl shape has always made me curious, and egg spoon does seem to nearly always go along with it. Nevertheless, all of your comments were informative and got me thinking. [This message has been edited by bascall (edited 11-16-2008).] IP: Logged |
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Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 11-16-2008 03:32 PM
Marc's right. The shape is right for an egg spoon, but the Mitchell & Tylers I had were indeed 5 inches long, not 3 3/4". Most salt spoons of this period have bowls that are symmetrically oval and wider than long. These are odd, but certainly for salt or some other small condiment. Brent IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 11-16-2008 04:42 PM
The master salt was a serving piece, to be placed on the table, and/or passed around from person to person, and from which salt would be dispensed to individual salts at each diner's place. Therefore the smaller individual salt spoons were provided in sets along with the sets of individual salts. Master salt spoons would correspond in number to the number of master salts used, which might depend on the length of the table. A 5 inch egg spoon is right for hen's eggs, but a smaller spoon would be required for quail eggs, which were (are?) considered a delicacy. IP: Logged |
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agphile Posts: 798 |
posted 11-16-2008 06:33 PM
In my admittedly pretty limited experience of such delicacies quails eggs are served hard boiled and are not eaten with a spoon. And I can't say I found them all that special - but I am not an adventurous eater. I appreciate that the customs and manners of our two countries diverged but, as I commented earlier, in England one would have automatically assumed these to be mustard spoons on the basis of the bowl shape. A long table might well be furnished with more than one mustard pot. IP: Logged |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 11-16-2008 06:58 PM
It may be of interest that the wholesale manufacturers Steele & Hocknell, in their price sheet sent to Wheeler & Brooks, quotes the price for "Salt and Mustard Spoons same as light Teas" or $1.85 per dozen. This implies they are of comparable size and labor cost. Which is not to say that the spoons shown couldn't be used for poached quail eggs, which are quite nice with a drop of tobasco, but less likely than for serving the ubiquitous mustard relish found on 19th century tables IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 11-16-2008 07:35 PM
One of my references by a British author cautions against confusing egg spoons after 1800 with large mustard spoons. The trouble is it does not give any advice on how to tell them apart. Marc and Agphile of course are both correct about the bowl shape. [This message has been edited by bascall (edited 11-16-2008).] IP: Logged |
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agphile Posts: 798 |
posted 11-17-2008 07:13 AM
Bascall As far as distinguishing between large mustard and egg spoons is concerned, I think the answer is that you can't unless there is a context to help (e.g. a set of 6 or more would probably be for eggs). In this case I thought the spoons were too small to be confused with egg spoons but I have seen a set of four only slightly larger spoons catalogued by a respected expert as "egg or mustard". David IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 11-17-2008 08:06 AM
agphile, thank you. Unless I learn anything different, they'll have to be classified as mustard spoons. They're a little large for my personal taste in english mustard, but that's alright. IP: Logged |
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