'Big Surprise' Hidden Inside 150-Year-Old Irish Silver 'Spoon Warmer'

'Big Surprise' Hidden Inside 150-Year-Old Irish Silver 'Spoon Warmer' | Antiques Roadshow

Рет қаралды 1,979,961

6 ай бұрын

All valuations were correct at the time of broadcast. This lady's father was in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, and brought in this intriguing piece of Officers' Mess silver which on first glance looks like a spoon warmer. On closer inspection, the expert reveals that the item, made in 1866, actually served another purpose entirely. Hugh Scully and the experts from Antiques Roadshow take a look at some fantastic antiques and the history and stories surrounding them. This clip was filmed in Mellerstain House in 2001.
Welcome to the home of Antiques Roadshow on KZfaq. Here you'll find all the best clips from Britain's most popular antiques appraisal show. From items that have been handed down the generations to those picked up in junk shops, discover their history and delight in the possibility that it could in fact be a priceless treasure.
Subscribe to the channel so that you don’t miss a thing: / @bbcantiquesroadshow
Stream full episodes of Antiques Roadshow on BBC iPlayer: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...
This is a commercial channel from BBC Studios. To contact us or provide feedback please visit: www.bbcstudios.com/contact/co...

Пікірлер: 246

@ROGER2095 4 ай бұрын

I've lived my whole uncivilized life eating food that was served with room-temperature spoons. Always held me back.

@monsterhog1118 4 ай бұрын

I blame my parents for never warming my spoons 😢

@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney 3 ай бұрын

God, how did you make it through?!

@ronaldxyz1001 3 ай бұрын

A fellow sufferer, I salute you

@OhNoNotFrank 2 ай бұрын

I say! The barbarity! I trust the children’s services had you relocated.

@utredutredson1686 Ай бұрын

Peasant.

@keaton718 4 ай бұрын

Man rich people are born with *warm* silver spoons in their mouth. Had no idea.

@Havel_The_Rock 6 ай бұрын

Spoon warmer, that's what my uncle used to call his lighter. By god, do I miss him

@jogillett8518 5 ай бұрын

😂😅😅

@desertdweller8981 3 ай бұрын

Underrated

@KausB89 2 ай бұрын

Damm. Thats a real stichy comment .

@user-hf2mc4dt4e 6 ай бұрын

That is a wonderful reminder of her father. It's beautiful.

@jakerazmataz852 6 ай бұрын

I hate to think of what she sold. I hope she didn't get ripped off.

@duncreg 26 күн бұрын

I guess it reminds her that her father swore like a parrot.

@gh0st_0f_b0b_chandler 5 ай бұрын

Spoon Warmers were filled with boiling water and left on the table. All serving spoons were placed in it until needed, enabling them to remain warm before scooping into some rich dish. Food served with a cold spoon may cool down too quickly for some tastes.

@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney 3 ай бұрын

That couldn't possibly be accomplished by simply leaving the spoon in the serving dish or using wooden spoons... I'm SO glad I've never had to do all the ridiculous shit rich folks do, haha!

@christhopervargas2275 3 ай бұрын

@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney im not rich at all but no, letting the spoon on the dish will make it a bit colder in some cases and depending on how hot it is you might wait too much and it will cool down, and well i have no argument against the wooden spoon, at least i dont like them much tho, they get too get and need some good cleaning if you dont want extra flavours aside from the wood flavour itself

@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney 3 ай бұрын

@@christhopervargas2275 I'm talking about just putting the serving dish on the table with the serving spoon already sunk into whatever's in the dish. That's how we do it. Then again, you could literally use a chunk of dry ice for a spoon and I don't think it'd make much of a difference if you ate it as soon as it was served, haha!

@duncreg 26 күн бұрын

This country formed a globe-spanning empire but was frightened of spoons cooling down their food?!?

@BenDoverNimmo 11 күн бұрын

The wealthy elite being detatched from reality as usual...

@favouritemoon4133 6 ай бұрын

Please don't claim there's a 'big surprise in'...anything. unless there IS one!

@DH-. 6 ай бұрын

Your telling me you weren't flabbergasted when you found out it was not a spoon warmer but a swear box?!?

@camnsprencheria3225 6 ай бұрын

I didn’t even know spoon warmers were a thing!😂

@aarona3606 6 ай бұрын

Imagine not being surprised that it was a swear box, I could honestly say I was flabbergasted as such a possibility 😂

@nozrep 6 ай бұрын

@@DH-.😂

@nozrep 6 ай бұрын

@@camnsprencheria3225me neither never heard of it until this video

@pamelaprestegard1377 6 ай бұрын

But .........anyway, I absolutely LOVE IT‼️Been watching Antiques Roadshow for over 30 years!! Attended once when they came to Charleston 2002(?)❤️

@jodyellison 6 ай бұрын

WV?

@jerimoody8207 6 ай бұрын

Well I'm surprised! I've never heard of a spoon warmer. I had to look it up. Briefly popular in the Victorian era. The nautilus shape was most common. There was also one American manufacturer. Having superfluous tableware was a status symbol.

@MagnusMaximusinWales 5 ай бұрын

Also, silver was an easily transportable form of wealth which could be turned into cash without many questions being asked, (unlike gold or jewellery).

@garryferrington811 4 ай бұрын

Then there's knife rests...

@geigertec5921 4 ай бұрын

I always wondered why I had a sterling silver asparagus server, such a specific tool I have always wanted to use but never made asparagus so never used it yet.

@cheryldreyer4172 3 ай бұрын

😮@@geigertec5921

@KyAl2 25 күн бұрын

@@garryferrington811 So you don't soil the linens and it doesn't get in the way being left on a plate.

@mulemule 4 ай бұрын

1:14 *Her flicker of disgust at discovering it's **_Irish_** silver is priceless **_("REALLY?_** I wouldn't **_KNOW!")._** Also, they should've cast her as Dolores Umbridge in "Harry Potter."* 😂

@faithm9284 6 ай бұрын

Love the beautiful milk thistle flower on the lid.

@jeanharper2790 6 ай бұрын

To the Brits, it's a HUGE surprise that an article with a thistle on it turns out to be IRISH rather than Scottish and moreover, was originally made as a swearbox! I'm sure that had them gossiping for ages!

@lilbullet158 6 ай бұрын

It wouldn't take long for that to fill up in my house... :)

@ilovemydog6847 6 ай бұрын

She’d get that £5000 back in one night if she took around to Gordon Ramsay’s house😊

@shannoncassidy2422 6 ай бұрын

Pretty much within the first hour @ work...

@bobsmith6544 6 ай бұрын

I filled it during the video telling myself how stupid the whole concept is.

@lilbullet158 6 ай бұрын

@@bobsmith6544 L🤣L

@Veronica-pv3qh 4 ай бұрын

I love that. A swear box! Great idea.

@franklesser5655 2 ай бұрын

Happy memories of warm spoons from the warmer as a child. Being a younger born of the family I had to settle with an inheritance of a "plated" warmer. Works as well but I'll always have to settle with less-than sterling.

@K_a_r_l_o_s 3 ай бұрын

You wonder if this was a cheeky gift from an Irish regiment after spending time with a Scottish regiment and the amount of swearing that occured.

@joycestempa5647 6 ай бұрын

THAT’S IT, now I want one!!! Never knew they existed (I just love the British and their formalities). All this time I’ve just been using a mason jar on the counter. I’m immediately going to be searching the internet for one of my own - I hope I can land one just like it. Well done!!

@favouritemoon4133 6 ай бұрын

You warm your spoons in this day and age? Respectfully, I don't get it, unless you live in the far, far north with very little heating!

@jennifermcgoldrick6323 6 ай бұрын

@@favouritemoon4133she wants a fancy swear box, not a spoon warmer. Did you watch the video? It’s not a spoon warmer.

@mrcon4433 6 ай бұрын

It's Irish not British and was most likely stolen by the Brits like everything else when they invaded Ireland.

@m.c.master4622 6 ай бұрын

Do you have 5000 pounds handy?

@shelleychastagner69 4 ай бұрын

I had to look it up: Spoon warmers were popular in Victorian houses as a way of keeping serving spoons warm. In large Victorian houses kitchens were often well away from dining rooms to keep unpleasant cooking smells away, so spoon warmers were used to help keep food warm. @@favouritemoon4133

@markhughes7927 5 ай бұрын

0:51 ‘…that would soon add up…’ cheeky feller!

@CGM_68 Ай бұрын

Sovereigns are a very valuable coin, if you had to but more than 1 in, it would soon add up to a small fortune.

@mikebitting8616 4 ай бұрын

The big surprise is there’s no surprise!

@learnenglishwithauntyjeanp1646 6 ай бұрын

Well, I thought it was a surprise because I believe the swear box was usually a separate item , mainly associated with men only dinners where the language deteriorated as the wine flowed. Why anyone would want to warm a spoon at the table also surprised me!

@kathleenlarson2380 5 ай бұрын

Those tiles are great!

@GailBrenner-vt9ou 6 ай бұрын

Yes....surprise fell to the floor as would a lead balloon.

@johncameron4194 6 ай бұрын

Very cool

@kathleenreyes4345 6 ай бұрын

Beautiful piece❤

@ruthlewis6678 6 ай бұрын

Love it! Love it! That is just too funny. Back then, who would get the money? The lady of the house?

@christopherproffitt3943 5 ай бұрын

It's not a swear box but a silver savings bank... but it's sweet Daddy used it as a swear box and she can't see it any other way.

@Artichoke4Head 6 ай бұрын

The biggest surprise to me was, they used to warm their spoons 😂 Did they have spoonwwarmers warmer for colder climates as well?

@ninaappelt9001 5 ай бұрын

One doesn't want one serving hot food with a cool spoon. I've never heard anything so pretentious.

@williamt5837 6 ай бұрын

Sadly; If that we're a swear box, I'd need a MUCH BIGGER one than that!

@ROGER2095 4 ай бұрын

I keep one in the car - It'll make me rich!

@SpeakTruthBeKind 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for this comment as I was wondering what a ‘square box’ was and now understand it is ‘swear box’! 🤔Now I’m wondering what words were used back then that they considered swearing…but that’s ok I don’t really need to know. 😆

@Cathy24601 6 ай бұрын

Now I know that people had to have something special to warm their spoons.

@America-First2024 4 ай бұрын

So the big surprise was the “swear box” is a “swear box”? That could be on Willie Wonka. “The swear box is a swear box.” 😂

@Mybpeterson 6 ай бұрын

Proof that people are the same, no matter what era.

@vigouroso 6 ай бұрын

LOL - how vague! You must have elaborated in what way the are the same. People like you are so perplexing they CAUSE swearing.

@Mybpeterson 6 ай бұрын

@@vigouroso It's a 150 year old swear jar!

@diggitus 6 ай бұрын

Is there an epidemic of cold spoons in England? Just have the spoon put on a sweater and make it a cup of tea. With energy prices up we can't afford to crank the heat.

@OrganMusicYT 5 ай бұрын

It was made in Ireland and for a Scottish Regiment of the British Army. Where does England come into it?

@dw3403 5 ай бұрын

They didnt have great heating in the Victorian age.

@diggitus 5 ай бұрын

@@dw3403Ok well as long as the spoons were cozy, who cares if a few thousand street urchins don't make it to march am I right?

@dw3403 5 ай бұрын

@@diggitus Right! What would they have to do with them when the Victorian age was all about showing off their wealth?

@Evilzionistbabykillers 6 ай бұрын

It's Mrs bucket 😂

@stopyulin3226 2 ай бұрын

It’s Bouquet!! 😂

@Evilzionistbabykillers 2 ай бұрын

@@stopyulin3226 BUCKET 🤣🤣

@AIJLarkin 6 ай бұрын

Turns out it’s full of click bait

@mariewhelan939 6 ай бұрын

Off course being irish and where it ended up it gives room for thought

@Crusty_Camper 4 ай бұрын

It was made in Ireland for a Scottish Regiment. It ended up with the daughter of one of the senior officers of that regiment. That's a pretty short trail to follow.

@JohnCritch-tf4mb 4 ай бұрын

I don't think she was overjoyed it was Irish.

@k.e.becquer4681 3 ай бұрын

Ireland in the 1800's was part of Great Britain, so it's not really a stretch.

@Crusty_Camper 3 ай бұрын

@@k.e.becquer4681 Well, it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, it wasn't part of Britain as such. I think the surprise was because geographically based regiments tend to have strong loyalty to that region and for table silverware for a Scottish regiment to be made elsewhere is almost unthinkable. Hence the surprise and doubt when the owner heard this news.

@CGM_68 Ай бұрын

@@Crusty_Camper The Royal Scots Fusiliers 1st Battalion spent the inter-war period in Ireland. They had been garrisoned in Dublin for long periods throughout their history. They put down a rebellion in Dublin in 1803, garrisoned for two or three years 1820s, 1830s, 1840s 1880s, then 1918 - 1921

@kathleenreyes4345 6 ай бұрын

Thank you❤

@davewilson9738 4 ай бұрын

Ah the utter disappointment moment of valuation...priceless!

@OhNoNotFrank 3 күн бұрын

But their servants never told them how they kept the spoons so consistently accurately well-temperatured.

@kentstone319 3 ай бұрын

We couldn't afford to warm the one spoon my family had.. finally had to sell it.

@Bonde7280 2 ай бұрын

Made in Ireland? That's not just a swear box. You would have to call that the "moneymaker"

@domin8rdominant763 5 ай бұрын

What was the surprise? Did I blink and missed it?

@Bill.Pearson 4 ай бұрын

The surprise is that it's not a spoon warmer..

@DavidHarperAntiquesTV 6 ай бұрын

Spoon warmers are not usually as massive as this one!

@Luna.3.3.3 6 ай бұрын

Although I see now they make sense at the time, I had never heard of a spoon warmer. It's lovely.

@DavidHarperAntiquesTV 6 ай бұрын

@@Luna.3.3.3 The Victorians were very good at inventing novelty items!

@Luna.3.3.3 6 ай бұрын

@@DavidHarperAntiquesTV Absolutely! So many inventions were borne from the industrial revolution

@mlkemiller1945 6 күн бұрын

Well, 150 years ago, the whole home might have been cold as a well digger's posterior and metal objects in the home might not help enjoy a bowl of soup or cup of tea or coffee as much as a warm spoon. I warm up my coffee cup before I pour the hot coffee in it. Works for me.

@InfernoFoundry 4 ай бұрын

Yes.

@nicolethijs5428 4 ай бұрын

I have several spoonwarmers like this but they are plated silver.

@rickwilliams967 6 ай бұрын

Why the hell would you need a spoon warmer?

@favouritemoon4133 6 ай бұрын

Apparently they were used in some Victorian-era houses of a certain class/wealth to prevent cold spoons from infecting hot food with...the cold present in high-ceilinged draughty houses. I had never heard of them before.

@cornstar1253 6 ай бұрын

My Nana made us kids warm our spoons before we added honey to our cup of tea.

@Bill.Pearson 4 ай бұрын

To keep your spoons warm, obviously. Sheesh, cavemen.

@poolhall9632 4 ай бұрын

"Hmm" "Yes"

@P.ilhaformosatherium 4 ай бұрын

Holy crap is that a nautilus shell Edit: I think I owe this thing like a few hundred quid

@SomethingsWrongPodcast 6 ай бұрын

I was hoping it was full of little bones. But that's cool, I guess. Actually, just watched it for real, swear jars are the oppposite of cool. Silver stuff is cool tho

@CharlezEggs 4 ай бұрын

Possibly the worst reason I've ever heard for getting rid of a piece of antique silver with family history- "the insurance was too much".

@llmifg 6 ай бұрын

A spoon warmer? Did I hear this right?

@WTU208 5 ай бұрын

Where is the 'big surprise' hidden inside?

@mike62mcmanus 6 ай бұрын

The pilots in the battle of Britain never sword on radio...

@herbbirdsfoot 4 ай бұрын

OMG IT’S IRISH SILVER!!!!!

@Crusty_Camper 4 ай бұрын

It's less common, so more valuable.

@dmarcuscosmic 6 ай бұрын

So what was the big suprise indie? The key?

@Dan-pt2tn 6 ай бұрын

I think they used that "inner seal" as clickbait.

@Mr.SLovesTheSacredHeartofJesus 5 ай бұрын

Interesting, but who sells their father's silver, just because you can't afford the insurance? I find that odd.

@stevenplayford5803 5 ай бұрын

That's called tighter times and saving face.

@carolt.7674 6 ай бұрын

What was in the spoon warmer??? And with the thistle on it, it looks more Scottish than Irish. Confusing , but I still love the show.

@Bill.Pearson 4 ай бұрын

Just hot water, which got cool quickly, I would think, in a silver vessel. Unless they had a spoon-warmer cozy.

@senianns9522 4 ай бұрын

That swear box is far too small for my local!

@AntiqueChronicles 6 ай бұрын

And how does one get the coins out when the box gets full??🧐

@annschurman4888 6 ай бұрын

It has a lock and key. He said a key could easily be found.

@jeffmagic32 Ай бұрын

My f#ck!ng spoon is cold!

@theresaotoole9141 4 ай бұрын

Disappointed that we never found out what the 'Big Surprise' was that was hidden inside ??

@ahushoura 4 ай бұрын

Haha, I was hoping once he told her the value that she would let a few expletives fly in shock, and then dropped some coins in the box.

@keaton718 4 ай бұрын

You should be a producer for the show, that would have been a great opportunity.

@ut000bs 4 ай бұрын

That swear box is easily worth $6k/£5k. Nice!

@Bill.Pearson 4 ай бұрын

...but it's empty, which surely devalues it.

@Crusty_Camper 4 ай бұрын

That was valued 23 years ago - it will be much more now.

@andrewdaley5480 3 ай бұрын

@@Crusty_Campernot necessarily.

@Crusty_Camper 3 ай бұрын

@@andrewdaley5480 I would put money on it !

@subaruthug 5 ай бұрын

What was the big surprise hidden in this thing?

@sang3Eta 6 ай бұрын

Clickbait gets voted down and on the way out "don't show me any more by this creator".

@matty101yttam 4 ай бұрын

man: "i suggest you insure this swear box for 5000 pound" Woman: drops a coin in the slot "f..."

@LITA-sj7io 6 ай бұрын

I KNOW WE DIPD THE ICECREAM SCOOPER IN WARM WATER TO GET THE CREAM OUT EASILY OR MAKE MORE UNIFORMD BALLS ..LOL ..NEVER KNEW I NEEDED MY SPOONS WARMD...I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS...FIRST BEING...WHAT IS THE PERFECT WARMD SPOON TEMP ..WHY IS THE FOOD NOT WARM ENUFF. IM TODAY YEARS OLD🤭🥴🤔😁

@jootai 5 ай бұрын

Good god a cold spoon, how atrocious!

@driftdotus 5 ай бұрын

I wonder what the most common swear words were back in those days...

@user-dx3tb7sy7h 6 ай бұрын

Spoon warmer???? Why??? Do they make toilet seat warmers over there too? Crazy

@doomlordkaka Ай бұрын

really? yes

@budgie7154 6 ай бұрын

No surprise there then ?

@anajanaj5846 4 ай бұрын

Mrs bucket 😂

@windowman929 4 ай бұрын

Allen partridge's brother, ah ha....

@flygirlfly 6 ай бұрын

What is a spoon warmer??

@favouritemoon4133 6 ай бұрын

I'd never heard of a spoon warmer either, so I googled and found this which I've extracted the main points from: 'Spoon warmers were created in the days before central heating when breakfast consisted of hot porridge and the dinners needed to remain warm. Ceilings were high and rooms drafty. Grasping a warm spoon must have seemed comforting. So little is known about spoon warmers today and not many people care, but it was an essential of its time. How could a proper house function if a warm dish suffered the affront of a cold stuffing spoon? Most spoon warmers are made from silver plate. They were filled with boiling water and left on the table. All serving spoons were placed in it until needed, enabling them to remain warm before scooping into some rich dish.' Wild, eh?

@flygirlfly 6 ай бұрын

@@favouritemoon4133 So interesting! Thanks!

@asprigardenia3459 6 ай бұрын

What is it for??????

@olderbutnowiser6701 3 ай бұрын

When told the insurance value of her swear box I really wanted her to say “well F me!”

@kurtandrew7314 5 ай бұрын

"big surprise" ? you must get excited seeing a loaf of bread

@incident895 4 ай бұрын

She's not from the estate then...

@user-wp8pm7nw1c 4 ай бұрын

Why do you need to warm a spoon?

@chrislayton5787 6 ай бұрын

Spoon man, come together with your hands, save me, I'm together with your plan. Save me. Yeah, oh All my friends are indians All my friends are brown and red Spoonman All my friends are skeletons Beat the rhythm with their bones Soundgarden

@cornstar1253 6 ай бұрын

@Aeenrbieit there's a key hole but no key. He said that it would be easy enough to find one.

@howlinhobbit 4 ай бұрын

the Spoon Man referenced in the tune (and playing on the track) is a friend of mine. he’s an amazing musician and, in addition to Soundgarden, Frank Zappa, and other _huge_ acts, he played on a track in my band, Snake Suspenderz, first CD, *Preliminary Slither*. I haven’t seen him in years and was happy to look him up and find he’s still alive and kicking at age 75 (10 years older than me).

@glennwilliamson889 6 ай бұрын

What the hell is a spoon warmer?

@Hazzar595 6 ай бұрын

Exactly what it sounds like. You would not believe how niche these old silver tableware items get

@jakerazmataz852 6 ай бұрын

They were simply to show your wealth. Yea, they warmed spoons too.

@cchavezjr7 2 ай бұрын

How can you eat your pudding if you don't have warm spoons!!!

@Pobsta-de7hb 3 ай бұрын

Irish guy walks in to a bar with dogs poo in his hands and angrily says "Look what was just outside and I almost stood in!"

@johnbartholf777 2 ай бұрын

Of course if you lived somewhere where the police actually solved and prosecuted burglaries, you wouldn't have to insure it at all.

@malinhead8468 6 ай бұрын

Not much of a suprise😂😂

@musicandwine1 6 ай бұрын

its a plumbus

@robertwilliamson922 4 ай бұрын

Okay ….so what was the surprise inside ? (Click bait scammed again)

@magicgemmaster7055 5 ай бұрын

People throughout time have wanted to flash their stupidity around like a badge of honor. Nowadays, Prada is selling purses that look like paper bags and money clips that look like a paper clips. Crying out loud, people still buy modern art! 😂

@user-zn2hy4xv8b 6 ай бұрын

no surprise inside? shoo oo ooot.

@favouritemoon4133 6 ай бұрын

That seriously annoyed me...and I thought I was immune to 'being annoyed on the internet'. No 'like' from me as a result.

@thekarmafarmer608 4 ай бұрын

another falsely named clickbait video. Why?

@nodder100 6 ай бұрын

Stolen by British soldiers occupancy of Ireland 😢

@Fummy007 6 ай бұрын

Any proof?

@cornstar1253 6 ай бұрын

And they still couldn't be civilized.

@OrganMusicYT 5 ай бұрын

Given that it has a Scottish Thistle on the top as the handle and her father bought it from the Scottish Regiment he was in, I'd have said it was commissioned.

@WilliHeckerslike 6 ай бұрын

BIG SURPRISE? What was that…was expecting a freshly nipped turd in there

@nejojohnson 6 ай бұрын

Put a tuppence in the turd jar, you naughty thing!

@bandittelevision 4 ай бұрын

Antiques road show is click baiting now? Come on!!

@eddieharris6004 6 ай бұрын

Swear box?....that being so would not something like a little devil be a more appropriate knop than a thistle? 🤔 Unusual item nonetheless.

@vdavis4785 6 ай бұрын

Presumably the thistle is an emblem of the Royal Scots Fusiliers.

@jwneilson 6 ай бұрын

A thistle goes with her father being in the Scots Fusiliers, though.

@brianstone4302 5 ай бұрын

What does one do with a warm spoon?Kinda afraid to ask😂

@drumcdoo9050 4 ай бұрын

Always find it amusing how those with upper class accents pronounce their words with elongated intonations, for instance when saying the inflection makes it come over as 'ears', which sounds commical and somewhat ridiculous. Ho-ho, jolly hocky sticks and what a splendid and rather ridiculous way those posh folk speak, but what a spiffing way for the idle rich to spend their days!