Stock No. 1988	Set of silver Scottish Provincial Banff teaspoons plus mash spoon
Rare set of six sterling silver Scottish Provincial teaspoons plus a longer mash spoon. Made in Banff, circa 1800. The stems of the spoons are of Old English pattern with a celtic pointed end. The front of the stems are engraved with a bright- cut design with an empty cartouche at the end of each stem. The hallmarks are stamped on the back of the end of each stem and consist of the Banff town mark which was used around 1800, stamped on either side of the maker's mark on each teaspoon. This appears to be an ornamental letter B formed in a semblance of ribbon-work. The mash spoon is stamped with the town mark on the left of the maker's mark, while on the right there is a stamp resembling a man's head, the meaning of which appears obscure to the reference books. Maker :- John Keith

Condition :-Very good indeed. The tips of the spoons have all been slightly blunted with use but the definition of the bright- cut design is good and the hallmarks are clear
Hallmarked :- Banff 1800
Size :- 4.95 inches ( 12.6 cm) length of teaspoon
Weight :- 2.94 ozt (91 g)
Sets of Scottish Provincial teaspoons are rare in themselves but the fact that this set has still got its mash spoon makes it doubly appealing. The mash or teapot spoon was used for stirring the teapot in order to mash (brew) the tea. It is distinguished from an ordinary teaspoon by its longer stem and is a rare form, peculiar to Scotland. In the case of this set, the mash spoon is 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) longer than the teaspoons.

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