It will be seen that the history of spoons is a long one and complicated by fashions. Nor is the study lightened by the various usages to which spoons may be put. It may readily be imagined that the use of coffee and tea brought the small spoon into commoner use. To-day the dainty spoon at five o’clock tea is a modern usage. But there is some suggestion that in eighteenth-century days the spoon of fashion was trivial in character in comparison with the larger spoons in use. Pope, the man of the town and depicter of the _beau monde_, has the lines: Or o’er cold coffee trifle with the spoon, Count the slow clock and dine exact at noon, suggesting the dilettante late at breakfast. Evidently the spoons were at that date made for toying and corresponded with our modern tea and coffee spoons. Something should be said of the manner of marking spoons. The positions of the hall-marks are worthy of the collector’s notice. Before the Restoration, and for some time afterwards, the leopard’s head was placed inside the bowl, as is shown in the illustrations we give of various examples. During the reign of Charles II the style of marking may be said to be transitional. In the early years some examples have all the marks on the handle. Even towards the last years of the reign other examples have the leopard’s head in the bowl and the rest of the marks on the handle. After this the marks appear on the handle, and about 1781 they were placed at the end of the handle instead of close to the bowl, as was the former practice. SALE PRICES APOSTLE SPOONS. It is impossible to fix prices. In July 1903 a set of thirteen with hall-mark for 1536 realized £4,900. Single specimens may roughly be valued as follows: Fifteenth century, anything from £50 to £300; sixteenth century, from £30 to £100; seventeenth century, £3 to £40. Six spoons (1631) brought £280 and a pair (1622) only £7. “Fakes” are abundant in this class. SEAL-TOP SPOONS. Prices range from £8 to £25 apiece. CADDY-SPOONS. These from middle of eighteenth century are a large class, which should appeal to the collector of limited means. But even in this modest field the faker has been busy. VI THE POSSET-POT AND THE PORRINGER [Illustration: COMMONWEALTH PORRINGER. 1653. (Marks illustrated p. 365.)] [Illustration: CHARLES II POSSET-POT AND COVER. 1662. CHARLES II PORRINGER. 1669. Silver-gilt. (With marks below.) Maker, I N (possibly Euodias Inman). (_In possession of Messrs. Garrard._)] CHAPTER VI THE POSSET-POT AND THE PORRINGER The antiquity of the Posset-pot--Its national use--The Porringer--The two forms contemporary with each other--Stuart examples--The seventeenth and eighteenth century potters--The merging of the two types into the bowl.