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Presented is an excellent assembled set of 10 mid 1700s English sterling silver place or soup spoons. This set is a marriage, but match quite well in terms of size and design, though one does have a rattail bowl where the rest have a drop heel. The spoons all have rounded terminals to the handles, with an upward turn to the tip. Five have a monogram of A in script style lettering, one has a crest of a lion's head emerging from a mural crown, one has a crest of an arm holding a fleur de lis above a monogram of MSH, and three are blank. All the spoons are well made and have a wonderful feeling of weight and quality. The dates range from 1723 to 1776, but mostly fall in the 1736-1753 range.

These spoons are all hallmarked, but the hallmarks vary, as this set is a marriage, and some marks are rubbed. Of the ten, the five with the A monogram all have the lion passant for sterling silver, the leopard's head crowned for the city of London, a maker's mark that is somewhat overstruck, likely Ebenezer Coker, and a date letter: two with an h for 1743 and three with an f for 1741. Of the remaining five: One (with the lion's head crest) has the lion passant with a notched sided punch which ran from about 1739 to 1755, as well as the leopard's head crowned and a maker's mark both rubbed, date letter wholly obscured. One (arm, fleur de lis crest) has the lion passant, leopard's head crowned (rubbed), maker's mark obscured, date letter s for 1753. One (no crest) has the lion passant, the leopard's head crowned, the date letter A for 1736, and a maker's mark of RS crowned for Richard Scarlett. One (no crest, rattail back) has the lion passant, the leopard's head crowned, the date letter A for 1776, and a maker's mark of IL for John Lambe. The final spoon has the seated Britannia mark for 958 purity silver, the lion's head erased for the city of London, the date letter H for 1723, and the maker's mark for Jane Lambe.

This set is in great overall condition, particularly considering the age. There is surface wear commensurate with age and use, and just a little wear to the tips of the bowls. One spoon has a very small notch to the top of the bowl, near one shoulder, though this is quite faint and could likely be made even more discreet with a little work. No splits, no monogram removals, and no repairs.

The spoons vary a little in length, from about 6 5/8 inches to about 6 7/8 inches.

The total weight for the set is 363 grams or 12.8 ounces.

-jm