Silver Pieces - The Strange and Peculiar: 2011-12-18

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, December 23, 2011

Pate Spreader

To complicate things - the Pate Spreader actually looks more like a knife than the Pate Knife, which I posted on earlier. These pieces are found in many of the older patterns but can easily be confused with the butter knife.

Chrysanthemum by Tiffany (5 inches)

Whittier by Tiffany (6 1/4 inches)

Olympian byTiffany

Marquis by Frank Whiting (5 1/4 inches)

Versailles by Gorham (4 5/8 inches)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Jelly Cake Server

When I first posted on the Jelly Cake Server, I was under the impression that this was a server that could be used to serve cake or jelly. I was wrong. There separate servers for Jelly (See Jelly Servers) and a separate Cake Server. The Jelly Cake Server is its own piece and what a lovely piece it is. It has the shape of the pie server with ornate decorations on the blade. Here are some examples.

Lily by Whiting (9 inches)

Louvre by Wallace (7 7/8 inches)

No. 10 by Dominick and Haff (10 1/4 inches)

Frontenac by International (8 1/8 inches)

Cloeta by International (8 inches)

Lily by Gorham (9 1/2 inches)

Monday, December 19, 2011

Poinsettia by Wallace

Another holiday themed pattern, Poinsettia was designed by Wallace. Although the pattern has been discontinued, I could not find the date it was originally introduced. Also, all the pieces I found were hollow handle and were serving pieces.

Gravy Ladle (8 1/4 inches)

Cake Slicer (12 7/8 inches)

Ice Cream Scoop (8 3/4 inches)

Casserole Spoon (10 3/8 inches)