Stock No. 2141	Charles I West Country seal-top spoon
Charles I sterling silver Provincial seal-top spoon of good gauge. The finial is gilt and has two contemporary sets of initials pricked on the flat top: CF over LB. The lower initials are pushed to the left a little in order the avoid the slight casting fault. The finial is joined to the hexagonal stem by a lap joint, as is customary with Provincial spoons. A mark of a bird is struck in the front of the bowl and three times on the back of the stem. One slight scratch at the top of the stem by the finial and this goes half way across the width of the stem. Maker :- Possibly the Quick family of Barnstaple, Devon.

Condition :-Very good. There is a slight casting fault on the edge of the top of the finial. This occurred during the making of the spoon . The hallmarks are good.
Circa :- 1630		.
Size :- 7 inches (17.8cm) long
Weight :- 1.8ozt (57.9g)
In spite of its name, the finial of this spoon was never intended to be used as a seal. The fact that the two sets of initials do not have the same last initial leads one to suppose that this spoon was probably a betrothal gift. Provincial early spoons have a much more naive appearance than London spoons. This lends much to their charm and makes them very collectable.

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