Edward VI Seal Top Spoon, 1550

We are proud to be offering for sale a very rare example of an Edward VI period silver spoon. This spoon has a small, round gilt seal terminal which is quite unusual for this early in the 17th century when the majority were hexagonal - How illustrates a 1559 example on page 228, volume 1 of "English & Scottish Silver Spoons". The flat plate to the finial is engraved "TC" which is almost certainly contemporary. The spoon has a hexagonal stem and good, fig-shaped bowl that are typical for the mid-16th century. The overall conditon for a 465 year old spoon is excellent - the bowl shows no sign of wear and the seal retains its detail and much of the original gilding.

The hallmarks on the spoon are very good with an excellent date letter "N" for 1550 and a less distinct example of the "BN" monogram mark for the specialist spoonmaker Nicholas Bartholomew. The final photo clearly shows the "B" and the upward right-hand line of the "N". This is the first mark of Nicholas Bartholomew and was in use betweeen 1545 and 1550, his second mark is the more commonly found crescent enclosing a mullet mark .

King Edward VI was crowned in 1547 at the age of nine, was the only son of Henry VIII and the third Tudor King. He was the first monarch raised as a protestant, but he died aged 15 in 1553 and after the thirteen day reign of Lady Jane Grey, England returned to catholicism for a brief period during the turbulent reign of Queen Mary. 

Finding pre-Elizabethan spoons is extremely difficult and as can be seen from the results of the recent Benson sale and the Queen Mary apostle spoon that made over £13,000 at auction in September 2014, a hefty premium is attached to any spoon from this period. This spoon has the added bonus of good overall condition and clear hallmarks.