Picture Front Falstaff Teaspoons

These are a fine set of six picture front Georgian silver teaspoons. Dating from the mid-18th Century they bear a male image to the front terminal that nowadays is assumed to be the Shakespearean character, Falstaff and the reverse of the bowls has a simple scroll. The Falstaff motifs are in excellent crisp condition and this great set of spoons retain good thick bowl tips too. The hallmarks are interesting: they have been struck twice with the "W.W" maker's mark, the one nearest the bowl in typical fashion and the other at right angles to it - presumably the latter is meant to imitate the lion passant marks and these spoons are collectable also as "duty dodgers". See http://www.antiquesilverspoons.co.uk/spoon-info/glossary.html for more information on the practice of duty dodging.