Monk's head knop spoon

Latten is a binary alloy of copper (70-80%) and zinc (20-30%). So the composition is identical to brass and the terms brass and latten are used interchangeably in early texts. In the 17th century the alloy often included a third element of iron (1-2%) usually an impurity, which results in a rather brittle metal. The proportion of iron seems to increase during the course of the 17th century. Latten spoons were not made in large numbers in England after the end of the 17th century. Latten spoonmakers are an ellusive group, and, the dating of latten spoons rests largely on stylistic features and their similarility to pewter and silver spoon styles