Silver Pieces - The Strange and Peculiar: 2013-11-03

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, November 8, 2013

Lady Wynn By Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon introduced Lady Wynn in 1912. This is a different pattern with a chalice and embellishments that have an imperial look to it. There is a shield on the terminal suitable for an initial. The design on the bottom of the stem and the shoulder follows the imperial theme.

Fork

Salad Fork (6 1/8 inches)

Individual Salad Fork

French Hollow Knife (9 1/2 inches)

Old French Hollow Knife in the Lady Wynn (sterling, 1912) pattern by Mount Vernon Silver

Dessert Oval Soup Spoon (7 inches)

Dessert/oval Soup Spoon in the Lady Wynn (sterling, 1912) pattern by Mount Vernon Silver

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Chapel Bells by Alvin

J. Russell Price designed Chapel Bells for Alvin and it was released in 1939. It is a very simple pattern with (what I can see as) a motif of leaves in two slim lines going down either side of a straight terminal. The stem continues with a line on either edge. If you look at the modern simplicity of the Bon Bon spoon, you can see how the design is no longer one of the elaborate Victorian or Edwardian periods.

Large Salad Serving Fork (9 inches)

Lemon Fork (4 1/2 inches)

Bon Bon Spoon (4 5/8 inches)

Baby Fork (4 1/8 inches)

Monday, November 4, 2013

Autumn Leaves by Reed and Barton

Reed and Barton introduced Autumn Leaves in 1957. It was designed by William L. Lafftery. The pattern is very simple with one leaf and a trailing branch adorning the stem.

Lemon Fork (5 1/8 inches)

Tomato Server (8 1/4 inches)

Sugar Tongs (4 inches)