Vintage Spoon - He who sups with the devil...

I came upon 3 of these spoons at an antique store and I loved them immediately.  They have a great weight and feel and look quite elegant.  I was also intrigued by the fairly elaborate markings on the back. (Read more below)

They came engraved with an "H" already on the front and based on that I decided to add a proverb that I had read which goes as follows:

"He who sups with the devil should have a long spoon"

Appropriately, this is a long spoon.  So for those of you who choose to keep dangerous company (chefs, we are looking at you) we got you covered. 

Each of these is slightly different.  One of the spoons actually has an engraving in the base of the bowl but it's rather hard to see so I opted to not use that engraving on the other two.  Each spoon has its own font and each has a tiny little devil tail worked into the proverb just for good measure. Enjoy!

FOR MORE INFO, READ ON...

HOW IS THE WEIGHT ON THESE?

Excellent if you like your spoons a bit heftier!  The weight for each spoon comes in at 104 grams (3.7 oz). 

WHAT ABOUT THE SIZE OF THESE?

These spoons are on the longer side (appropriately) coming in at 9 inches.  The spoon has a nice, deep bowl and is a lovely oval shape that comes to a nice rounded point at the top.  I believe these were likely serving spoons when originally made.

WHO MAKES THIS SET?

These spoons bear the markings of British-based flatware company Walker & Hall.  Based on the markings on the back of each spoon, these were produced between 1885-1905.  

WHAT IS THE STEEL MADE OF?

This is a vintage piece and it is fairly clear that it has been silver plated but the base steel/metal is unknown.  

WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF THESE SPOONS?

This set is in generally good condition.  There is light wear and tear in some areas including very light pitting on some pieces. A handful of pieces also show some of the silver is beginning to degrade and show the base metal below.  For the most part, however, these spoons are in excellent shape given their age.

HOW DO I CARE FOR THIS SPOON?

This spoon will do best if hand washed with a mild detergent after each meal/prep period. 

With that said, we know that some of you *cough* will still feel compelled to throw them in the dishwasher.  We aren't judging but if you must place them in the dishwasher, make sure to never wash silver-plated flatware with stainless-steel flatware in the same dishwasher load. The silver and stainless steel chemically react in the presence of automatic dish-washing detergent, causing silver ions to disassociate from the silver plate and transfer to the stainless steel. This leaves pits on the silver plate and may cause spotting of the stainless steel, especially if the metals are touching each other.