The earliest was from the tumultuous five-year reign of Mary I, hallmarked for London 1556 with the maker's mark of a 'crescent enclosing a mullet' for Nicholas Bartholomew, an important spoon maker of the time.
A premium is attached to any silver from this brief period and this example, with a fig-shaped bowl and a Master Apostle terminal with pierced nimbus, was in generally excellent condition with plenty of detail to the terminal, traces of original gilding and the hallmarks still clear and legible.
Estimated at £2000-3000, a flurry of online bids matched by competition in the saleroom resulted in a hammer price of £10,800 (plus 20% buyer's premium) from a private collector.
From the same £32,000 collection, a James I spoon with a similar Master Apostle finial and York hallmarks for 1623 sold at £3100.
