silver caddy spoon

Brief history of Caddy Spoons

Unlikely as it may seem now the humble cup of tea was an expensive commodity
during the 18th and 19th centuries. It even had a place in the birth of a nation, the
United States of America.

Because of its scarcity, against demand, tea was only taken by the very wealthy, it
was even kept under lock and key at that time. The measurement of how much tea to
use was therefore important to avoid waste and this requirement brought into being
the not so humble, silver tea caddy spoon.

The wealthy of that time would not have taken lightly to using some simply measuring
method for making tea. For them the obvious solution was to use silver for the spoons
a material which matched their tea sets. Fashion soon spawned many attractive
designs that ensured those that had, showed their guests only the best in design of
spoons and many of these spoons are now in the hands of collectors.

Because of their varied designs and precious metal construction they have become
extremely collectible. Indeed many collectors have seen their investments grow
tremendously over the last twenty years or so. Collectors take a varied approach to
the spoons they purchase. Some only seek out a particular maker, others seek to
collect by age, whilst others only collect by country, for example Scottish, Irish, Dutch
or English spoons. Whatever their methodology the collectors hold in their hands
pieces of history. If only the spoons could talk........imagine the conversations of
societies elite in a fascinating period of world history, the fact that your spoon would
have been used by such people is in my view fascinating.

It is even more surprising that you can buy such a spoon for less than Ł100 at the
moment. So why not start your collection now. As your experience and knowledge
grows you can add to your collection, releasing earlier purchases back into the
marketplace. When you have bought your spoon why not look at the year the spoon
was assayed then look at what was happening around that time. As I said earlier, if
only they could talk.......

Good luck and happy hunting !!!!