A George III silver Mote Spoon.

A George III silver Mote Spoon, London circa 1765, struck with a maker’s mark twice for Ebenezer Coker, London. Engraved on the interior of the bowl with a crest on a ducal coronet.

The first letter of the maker’s mark is not clear but the mark is unmistakeable.

‘Mote spoon’ is a term that was coined in the later 19th century by antique dealers. In fact, these spoons were known at the time of manufacture as ‘strainer spoons’ or ‘tea strainers’. Such strainer spoons appear in England from the 1690’s and continue into the later 18th century.