Sugar Tongs have been used to dispense sugar cubes into cups for generations. They were often referred to as tea tongs and this is documented in cases of theft in the Old Bailey.

The rarest sugar tongs are the cast sugar tongs which were made between the years of 1765 to 1780. It is quite rare to find these and even more rare to find undamaged ones. They were made in three pieces, the two arms and the bow which were soldered together with the hallmark usually stamped at the joins.