The Macabre Mystery of a British Family's Skull-Topped Spoons

In 1904, a collector named J.T. Micklethwaite brought a rare “death’s-head” spoon to a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Declaring it “too grim to be put to ordinary use,” he pointed to the engraved skull at the top of its stem, complemented by the message “Live to Die” on one side and “Die to Live” on the other. Micklethwaite theorized that the 17th-century spoon must have been a funerary gift. While such mementos—including funeral rings and funeral biscuits—were not uncommon at the time, Micklethwaite was looking at the wrong end of life: The macabre piece of silverware was likely a gift for a baby.

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