Small Flatware

Happy new year to all (three) of my readers!  I hope 2014 is full of blessings for you.  Part of what I'd like to do this year is to go to England and Ireland and visit with some of the lovely dealers I have bought from or would like to buy from, and hopefully have some good old-fashioned chats about silver.  Sometimes it's difficult buying from a website, especially hollowware, since I don't have much experience with it and as a consequence don't really know what a certain type of piece should really feel or look like, or how to detect accurately if a piece has been altered.  Meeting with dealers who have experience and actually holding a piece in my hand will undoubtedly be a good education.

I love Britannia-standard rattail teaspoons.  At the risk of sounding girly, they are just so cute.  There aren't many yet in my collection, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that that will change on January 9, when I find out if my bids in The Finial auction came out on top.  I'll keep you posted.  By the way, if you are not a member of The Finial, I would recommend it as a New Year's resolution to become one. 

Here are the three teaspoons in my collection:

From left to right: teaspoons by John Ladyman, John Ladyman, Samuel Hitchcock

The measurements of the teaspoons, from left to right, are 4 5/8 inches, 4 1/8 inches, and 4 5/8 inches.  Note the similarities in the more rounded terminals of the two Ladyman teaspoons, as well as their similar bowl shapes.  The two Ladyman teaspoons are also heavier in proportion to the Hitchcock teaspoon, the largest Ladyman teaspoon being especially heavy and well-made.  Here is a close-up of the hallmarks:

Note the lion's head erased mark on the spoon on the right.  It looks like it is in a shield-shaped punch, which I have not seen before.


Dessert spoons are also pieces of small flatware that I make great use of.  Ice cream tastes especially nice off of these:

Set of six dessert spoons, London, 1702, John Ladyman

These were the first non-Hanoverian terminal spoons I purchased, and I really do love this little set of spoons.  Yes, the hallmarks are worn, yes, the rattails are worn, but to me they are wonderful.  They measure 6 1/4 inches in length.

Finally, who doesn't need dessert forks?  Pie, zucchini bread, brownies, angel food cake, etc.  I found these with a dealer here in the States, and although they aren't Britannia-standard, I couldn't pass them up:

Set of six dessert forks, London, 1736, maker's mark IS

The forks measure 6 1/4 inches.  They are heavy, and have a very good feel in the hand, making them pleasant to use.

What small flatware do you have in your collection?