No, it's not a sleeping device :-) It's a bit clunky for cuddling up to. It looks like a sugar bowl that outgrew itself. Some people just put a cup on the countertop and stick their teaspoons in it, but you're supposed to use a spooner. During Victorian times they were not only a symbol of ready hospitality, but also a sign of increased affluence among the expanding middle class who could now afford silver spoons. They had almost completely disappeared by the 1930's.
Because some dealers at flea markets and malls do not recognize spoonholders, they are often mislabeled. The beginning collector or dealer needs to look closely and study to differentiate spooners from open sugars, sugar bottoms, celery vases, goblets, and tumblers. Spoonholders are narrower and more cylindrical than sugar bottoms or open sugars. Unlike goblets, which always have a smooth-rimmed lip, stemmed spooners are usually scalloped, serrated or beaded at the top, and the stems are shorter. Though many flat-based spooners have smooth rims, old tumblers tend to be slightly shorter and narrower than spooners and are slightly flared toward the top.
So, now that you know all about spooners, here's the one from our store: a leaded crystal example. It has a small ding on the rim (there's a close up photograph of it - we always fully disclose condition issues when we're aware of them) but that really does not detract at all from the beauty of this piece.
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