Silver Pieces - The Strange and Peculiar: 2011-01-09

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, January 14, 2011

The Oyster Server

As I have mentioned before there are supposedly two Oyster Servers the Oyster Server and the Fried Oyster Server. However, I could not find an example a plain "Oyster Server" only the Fried Oyster Servers. So here are examples of this serving piece. The pieces with the sharp pointed teeth are sometimes referred to as "Macaroni/Entree/Fried Oyster Serving Pieces". So, it is a bit confusing. After looking over all the examples (many more than are shown here) I feel the true Oyster Servers are the ones without the tines.

Dresden by Whiting (8 1/2 inches)

St. James by Tiffany (8 1/4 inches)

Heraldic by Whiting (10 inches)

Lancaster by Gorham
Entree/macaroni/oyster Server

Imperial Chrysanthemum by Gorham (8 1/4 inches)
Entree/macaroni/oyster Server

Trajan by Reed and Barton (7 3/8 inches)

Les Cinq Fleurs by Reed and Barton (7 5/8 inches)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Saratoga Chip Server - Revisted

In an earlier post I described the Saratoga Chip Server and only gave one example. However since there are examples of this piece in many patterns, here are a few more. You may remember that this utensil was designed to serve the new fad food "Potato Chips". The detail on the scoop and stem of some of these pieces is quite lovely.

Chrysanthemum by Tiffany (8 3/4 inches)

Virginiana by Gorham

Ailanthus by Tiffany (9 inches)

Empire by Towle (7 1/2 inches)

Cambridge by Gorham (8 3/5 inches)

Baronial Old by Gorham (8 3/4 inches)