Pickle Pieces

The Story Behind this Blog

Being from the South, Silver is a very big part of my life. It doesn't have anything to do with wealth. Although those with more money - old money, tend to have more of it. New money tend not to spend their money on Silver. They do not have the appreciation for the warmth of the metal, the beauty of the patina, the story it tells of the generations past who have used it. A true southern girl comes of age when she chooses her silver pattern, long before she chooses her mate. If she is smart, she chooses that of her mother, grandmother, or favorite great aunt who in their benevolence will pass their silver on to her. It is the pieces in those sets, the pieces on our tables, along with the pieces we find in the corners of the displays in antique stores that prompted me to start this blog. They are beautiful, they are odd, but what are they, and what in the hell do you do with them?

Friday, February 5, 2010

Pickle Pieces

Yes, we all love pickles. And how do we serve them? Long Handle Olive Fork and Long Handle Olive Spoon, both designed to serve olives from tall jars. The spoon is pierced to drain the juice from the olives. Piccalilli Fork and Piccalilli Spoon, used for serving vegetable relish or piccalilli. There are also the Pickle/Olive Fork, Short Handle and Long Handle Pickle Forks .

I have found some sources that say only Towle and Tiffany produced Piccalilli forks and spoons but there are many pieces identified as such in other patterns. Whether these pieces are mis-identified and confused with the many other pickle related pieces (as there are many) or other patterns do in fact have Picallilli pieces is up to the manufacturers to defend. I will only say they are lovely pieces but are all very difficult for the novice silver collector to distinguish.

(Piccalilli Spoon shown Duke of York by Whiting)