Apostle Spoons are usually part of sets of thirteen (The Lord and his twelve apostles). Generally crafted of silver, the handles feature likenesses of The Lord and apostles. In ancient times, the spoons were given as gifts after baptisms, especially for godchildren.
Wealthier families often presented entire sets, while poorer sponsors simply broke up the set and gave single spoons as gifts. These spoons were rare items up to the 16th century, when they became more popular as presentation gifts. The ages-old saying, “born with a silver spoon" derives from this ancient tradition of presenting spoons at weddings and christenings. Often the spoon with the apostle’s likeness, which the child had been named after, was presented.
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These spoons were much more in vogue throughout old England than they ever were in other countries such as Germany and Holland. These presentation spoons would be used only by the receiver of the gift through life. Because of this part of the tradition, many old apostle spoons have worn considerably.
Care should be taken by collectors, as to the hallmarks on certain of these items which have been imitated over the years and placed on fraudulent pieces, especially Nuremburg, Germany marks. Spoons with overly large bowls compared to the stems should send collectors checking. Some of these spoons were created as mechanical designs, allowing parts of the item to move freely, such as the arms of the figures.
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