Silver Pieces - The Strange and Peculiar: 2013-05-05

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, May 10, 2013

Long Handled Sardine Serving Spoon and Fork

The Long Handled Sardine Serving Spoon and Fork are much longer than the regular size pieces which are typically 4 1/2 - 6 inches long. Also, you will note that the tines and end of the fork are much smaller. The regular Sardine Fork (I posted on earlier) has a much wider shoulder and tines.

Josephine by Frank Whiting (8 1/8 inches)

Athene by Amston (aka Crescendo) (8 1/8 inches

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Louis XV Patterns

Another very popular name, there are several sterling silver patterns named Louis XV. And, some of the patterns look very similar, but there are minor distinctions. Here are some examples:

Whiting (1891 Salad Serving Set 9 1/8 inches )

Dominick and Haff (1925 Tomato Server 8 inches)

Tomato Server, Solid Piece

Durgin (1891 Cracker Spoon 7 1/2 inches)

Woods and Hughes (1880 Fish Serving Knife (10 1/4 inches)

Birks (1914 Bouillon Spoon 4 7/8 inches)

Round Bowl Soup Spoon (Bouillon)

Monday, May 6, 2013

Maintenon by Shiebler

An old pattern, Maintenon was introduced by Shiebler in 1895. The pattern has a design of scroll work on the terminal and the lower part of the stem.

Fork (7 5/8 inches)

Fork

Tablespoon (8 1/2 inches)

Tablespoon (Serving Spoon)