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A rare American colonial spoon (PICTURED) used to extract bone marrow is expected to be sold for a staggering £160,000 later this month. See NTI story NTISPOON. The 20cm (8ins) long spoon, thought to be the most valuable of its type, dates back to between 1766-68. The spoon often has a long thin bowl suitable for removing marrow from a bone. The valuable silverware is from the period of George III and is attributed to the makers Daniel Henchman and Nathaniel Hurd of Boston, US. It has the inscription at the top of the stem which reads ‘John Wentworth Esq To Thomas Smith’ suggesting it belonged to John Wentworth, who lived from 1737 to 1820. He was Governor of New Hampshire from 1766 until the American War of Independence. But he was eventually forced to leave for England in 1778 after he allowed tea to be stored in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, following the infamous Boston Tea Party. The move, along with his decision to send militia to support Boston’s port being closed made, him deeply unpopular. He later returned to Nova Scotia, in Canada, where he was governor from 1793 until he retired in 1808. The spoon will be put up for sale at NEC’s Antiques for Everyone spring fair which runs from April 10 to 13.

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