Sucket Spoon, 1670 by TI

A sucket spoon was a fruit eating utensil with two prongs to one end and a spoon bowl to the other. Suckets were a late 17th 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.

This spoon has a flat, plank-like stem in the manner of early trefid spoons (circa 1660-80) and will date to that period. Sucket spoons from the 17th century are very rarely fully marked and often not marked at all. This example bears the clear maker's mark "TI" which we have been unable to ascribe, but is potentially the same TI as shown on page 119 of Jacksons (circa 1640) or Thomas Jenkinson from later in the century. This piece is a particularly fine example with a twist to the centre of the flat stem and is in fine condition throughout with just a small annealing flaw from original manufacture to the top of the shank.