The Origins of Baby Spoons as Gifts

The origins of baby spoons as gifts began during the Tudor and Stuart reigns, this is when it was fashionable to give the Apostle spoon as a gift at Christenings. These were silver spoons and there were twelve and in some cases thirteen of them that were made of silver, with the end of the handle made in the form of one of the Apostles. The thirteenth spoon that was added with the other twelve was referred to as the Master spoon. This spoon was extremely special, because it bore the figure of Christ.

There were similar spoons that were made of pewter, copper and brass for people of limited means. This was the first instance of the baby spoon as a gift that is common today but is not usually given at the Christening in later years.

During colonial times, silversmiths Paul Revere created babies spoons, along with rattles and cups as part of their craft. These spoons were made for babies and then became a popular gift, not so much for feeding the child as it was a keepsake. These keepsakes were even passed from generation to generation as a treasured item and much of the reason for this in early America was due the fact that silver baby spoons were in the past only available to royalty or those of the upper class.

By 1824, there were sterling silver baby spoons with a curved handle that were popular to give as gifts and became a keepsake, often passed down from generation to generation. By 1894, there was a spoon maker that began putting an engraving on the bowl of the spoon.

From the late 1800s through the early 1900s, the silver baby spoon became the additional gift that was given after the birth of the baby. In many cases, the ornate handles of the spoons were engraved with the first letter of the infant’s name. This became a way of personalizing the gift and was done either by spoon maker or a jeweler after the purchase of the spoon.

There are even collectors of these spoons that were especially made from babies. For this, there are certain ways of inspecting the spoons to know if they are from the past or a newly made spoon that has an older appearance. The first thing one should do is evaluate the appearance of the spoon and notice if there is any indication of peeling. This would mean that the baby spoon was not crafted from sterling silver. The spoon should also be weighed; this can be an indicator what period it is from, along with the hallmark, which is the official stamp. A hallmark was first used in 13th century England and consisted of four different stamps until the year 2000. There were only two hallmarks in America that used either initials or full names, such as Revere. These hallmarks can be worn, which is due to over polishing of the sterling silver and there are books or websites where the authenticity of the hallmark can be analyzed to help date the baby spoon.