Stock No. 2159	Charles II small silver engraved trefid spoon
	Charles II sterling silver small engraved trefid spoon. The stem of the spoon is beautifully engraved in the contemporary style on both sides with a small vacant cartouche on both sides. The rat-tailed bowl is also engraved on the reverse. The only mark is the maker's mark and that is stamped on the back of the stem and is very crisp.
	Maker :- Possibly Daniel Shelmerdine, London

Condition :-Excellent condition with extremely crisp engraving and hallmark.
Circa :- 1680		.
Size :- 4.4 inches long (11.18 cm)
Weight :- 0.33 ozt (10.2 g)
These small trefid spoons were probably tea spoons. Tea was first sold at a London coffee- house in 1657. Tea-drinking became fashionable at the court of Charles II soon after 1660 and so became rapidly popular. The first trefid spoon to be recorded in England was in 1662. This trefid tea spoon must have come from an affluent household since the norm was to have only one or two silver spoons in a home at that time. These were usually given to commemorate a wedding or birth or some other memorable occasion. The fact that both cartouches have never been engraved leads one to think that this spoon was owned purely for use rather than for a commemorative reason.

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