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| Antique Silver Mote Skimmer Spoon - Elkington
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Reference: S11276
Period: Edward VII
Year: 1904
Silversmith: Elkington & Co. Ltd
Place: Birmingham
Price: $ 180.00
Weight: 9 grams
Dimensions: 12.6 cm
Condition: Excellent.
Description: An Edwardian replica of a mote skimmer spoon, made by the leading firm Elkington. The oval spoon bowl has a pierced pattern of foliated scrolls and holes, the rounded handle is attached to the bowl with a rat-tail, the finial is a three sided triangular spearhead, which is very sharp. This spoon is excellent quality, as you would expect from Elkington, it has a lovely feel in the hand. It is teaspoon sized, most mote spoons were longer. Mote spoons originated in the early 18th century, and were used to skim off floating particles of tea leaves and motes (tea dust) from a cup of tea (Newman, Illustrated Dictionary of Silverware, page 217). The long thin handle with sharpened point was used to clear the spout of a teapot (when spouts were still straight) where tea leaves clogged it (remember tea leaves were coarser then than we are used to today). In the Plate Offences Act of 1738 these spoons were called tea strainers, but mote spoon or skimmer is the more popular description. There has been controversy over the years as to their actual use, as their practicality of skimming tea leaves has been called into question, for example some believe them better suited as olive spoons. The mystery and variety of piercing has made these spoons highly collectable today. The hallmarks are excellent, and are placed on the back of the bowl, many original mote spoons have indistinct hallmarks as they were originally struck on the narrow handle. This particular Elkington makers mark in 3 circles was used between 1890 and 1905, but the firm operated between 1850 and 1968. Whilst this particular spoon is an Edwardian replica of an 18th century design , it is still over 100 years old so is classified as an antique.
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Antique Silver Mote Skimmer Spoon - Elkington
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Silver mote spoon pierced bowl
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Antique silver mote spoon
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Antique silver mote spoon with rat tail
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Antique silver mote spoon - diamond point spike finial
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Elkington & Co Birmingham 1904 silver hallmarks
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Sterling silver mote spoon scale
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