Exeter Dog Nose Spoon, 1713

This is a fine example of a rare Exeter marked dog nose spoon. Unusually for dog nose spoons (which are prone to over-polishing), the hallmarks remain in fabulous condition and show Britannia Standard marks for Exeter and the maker Thomas Sampson. This spoon has a lot of positive features, making it a worthy purchase.

It has original dot-pricked betrothal initials to the terminal with the 1713 date. The front is engraved "Mary Hearn born July 22nd 1713". The frontal engraving may well be a little later than the spoon, but probably shows that the spoon was given to Mary by her parents. The parents were given the spoon as a wedding present (also in 1713) and their names had the initials "IH" and "MH" - the latter being the mother and almost certainly another Mary.

The spoon is in excellent condition throughout with a lovely patina. It has an unworn bowl and a good feel and balance in the hand. A fine piece indeed!