Silver Pieces - The Strange and Peculiar: 2012-01-29

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 3, 2012

Old Style Pickle Fork (Part 3)

Here are some more examples of the Old Style Pickle Fork. I have posted earlier on this piece.

Marlborough by Reed and Barton (5 1/2 inches)

Old Newbury by Towle (5 3/4 inches)
Old Style Pickle Fork

Lily of the Valley by Whiting (6 3/8 inches)
Old Style Pickle Fork

Old English by Towle (5 3/4 inches)
Old Style Pickle Fork

Canterbury by Towle (6 inches)

Old Style Pickle Fork

Revere by International (6 3/8 inches)
Old Style Pickle Fork

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Cucumber Fork/Server

Cucumber Servers are fairly common in patterns, especially the older ones. However, I stumbled upon what looked like a Cucumber Fork. Upon further research, I learned that in Tiffany patterns, the Cucumber Server has wide tines off the end like a fork unlike other patterns whose Cucumber Servers have a round flat surface with small teeth off the side. This is a unique feature of the Tiffany pieces.

Renaissance By Tiffany (7 3/8 inches)

Broom Corn by Tiffany (6 3/4 inches)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Dresden by Whiting

An old pattern, Dresden was introduced by Whiting in 1896. I stumbled across this pattern and was intrigued by the detail in design. Small flowers and leaves decorate the terminal and stem. The shoulders of the serving forks are lovely. A beautiful pattern that gets more interesting the more one looks at it.

Ice Cream Spoon ( 5 3/8 inches)

Large Berry Spoon (8 5/8 inches)

Large Jelly Spoon (6 inches)

Sardine Server (6 inches)

Cold Meat Serving Fork (6 7/8 inches)

Ice Cream Fork (5 1/4 inches)

Nut Spoon (4 3/8 inches)