Lace Back Trefid Spoon, 1686

This is an interesting silver laceback trefid spoon with the rare feature of a human face hidden among the decoration to the front terminal. Dating from the year of the Glorious Revolution that brought to an end the short reign of King James II, this spoon benefits from bearing a good set of hallmarks for the premier specialist spoonmaker, Lawrence Coles. By this date, his maker's mark was a little indistinct due to the continual use of worn punches, but the distinctive horse-shoe underneath the LC initials can be seen.

This William & Mary period spoon has a good feel in the hand and bears original "A*W" initials to the reverse terminal. The overall condition is very with a full bowl with just a slight loss of thickness on the rim of the leading edge and a good patina. The laceback decoration to the reverse of the bowl is pretty good and that to the front terminal remains crisp.