Barker Brothers | Sterling Silver Baby Spoon | Birmingham | 1950

Barker Brothers | Sterling Silver Baby Spoon | Birmingham | 1950

A childhood rhyme, a little country scene, and a spoon made to be kept long after its first use.

Silver spoons have long been associated with gifts marking a child’s birth or christening, valued both as useful objects and as keepsakes. This example was made by Barker Brothers Silver Ltd, a Birmingham silver manufacturer, and bears Birmingham hallmarks dating it to 1950–51. Its looped handle and nursery-rhyme decoration place it firmly within the tradition of silver made for children.

The bowl is embossed with a country scene: a duck rides in a cart drawn by a horse or donkey along a road, with trees and hills behind. The words “This Little Pig Went to Market” run around the lower rim of the bowl. The handle curves back on itself into a closed loop, designed for a small hand to hold, and is embossed with flowers. The reverse of the handle is hallmarked with the Barker Brothers mark “BB S LD”, the Birmingham anchor, the lion passant and the date letter A, and is stamped “Made in England”.

Excellent condition, with the embossed decoration clearly defined and the spoon structurally sound. The silver has some surface tarnish and could be lightly polished if desired.

Key Details

• Maker: Barker Brothers Silver Ltd, Birmingham
• Hallmarks: “BB S LD” maker’s mark, anchor, lion passant, date letter A (Birmingham, 1950–51); stamped “Made in England”
• Period: mid-20th century
• Material: sterling silver
• Decoration: embossed duck-and-cart scene with the inscription “This Little Pig Went to Market”; flowers on the looped handle
• Dimensions: length 9.2 cm; width 2.9 cm; height 1.7 cm
• Weight: 16 g
• Condition: excellent; structurally sound
• Buyer profile: anyone looking for a christening or new-baby gift, and collectors of English hallmarked silver and nursery-rhyme pieces

Collector Appeal

The spoon combines several distinctive features of mid-century children’s silver: a looped handle with floral relief, a pictorial bowl and a familiar nursery-rhyme inscription. Its clearly struck Birmingham hallmarks identify both the maker and the period. At just 9.2 cm long, it is a small piece in which considerable attention was given to decoration.

Every family keeps something small from its beginnings; often it is a spoon.