Rare George I Silver Sucket Spoon, 1729 Samuel Hutton

This is a fine example of a George I silver sucket spoon with the diagnostic two pronged fork to one end and a spoon bowl to the other.

Suckets were a late 17th and early 18th century delicacy consisting of dried fruit and citrus peels in a sweet syrup. The fork end was designed for spearing the fruit, while the small spoon was used for scooping up the syrup.

Sucket spoons were at their height of fashion during the 1680's and were often part of a dessert suite that was tightly engraved all over. This example follows that style, but is a late example and so possibly a replacement for a missing piece. Unusually, it bears a full set of London hallmarks (many were unmarked).

This pleasing spoon has a lovely feel in the hand and is in excellent condition with crisp engraving. The hallmarks are hidden in the hallmarks and the date letter is quite tricky to pick-out but can be seen to be the "O" for 1729. The "SH with heart above and pellet below" maker's mark is clearly that of the specialist spoonmaker Samuel Hutton.

Samuel Hutton was apprenticed to Edward Jennings and in turn trained the future spoonmakers Edward Bennett and Marmaduke Daintrey.