Caddy spoon, Sheffield, 1897
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1897
Caddy spoon in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number C.25586), made in Sheffield, dated 1897. The museum's brief description reads: Caddy spoon, advertising 'Wilson's Pure Tea', Advertising Ephemera, electroplated Britannia Metal, Sheffield, Wingfield and Rowbotham,1897.. Museum description: Caddy spoon, electroplated Britannia Metal, (the silver surface now entirely wanting), oval bowl, incised, with and embossed with an inscription, short handle, rounded tip. The museum records it as Electroplated Britannia Metal, measuring Length x cm; Width x cm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
A caddy spoon is a type of spoon for use in taking and measuring dry tea from a tea caddy, usually small enough to fit inside the caddy. English examples were developed in the mid 18th century when the Chinese tea bottle was superseded by the tea caddy, having an opening large enough to accommodate a small spoon to dispense and measure the tea and when the cover (the thimble top) was no longer used as a measure. Caddy spoons were always required to be hallmarked, being excluded from the exemption of the English act of 1790 relating to small articles.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- britannia metal
- Dimensions
- Length x cm; Width x cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Electroplated Britannia Metal
- Place recorded
- Sheffield
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- THE DRINK / 1897 / OF HEALTH and WILSON'S PURE TEA / CROYDON
Identification
- Museum object name
- Caddy spoon
- Museum object number
- C.25586
- Museum system number
- O295927
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.