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 30, 2014

Canterbury by Towle

Towle introduced Canterbury in 1893.  The design at first looks simple, but the more you look at it, the more small elegant it is with small details. The beaded edge is interrupted at the base of the terminal with a simple fern design and as the eye follows the line up to the tip of the terminal is looks like a young fern frond ready to unfurl, with a third frond at the very tip. The curling motif is repeated on the the shoulders of the pieces. It is a lovely pattern.

(I have no idea if this is a fern in the design it just struck me that way in trying to describe it.)


Pastry Fork (6 inches)

Towle Silver Canterbury (Sterling,1893) Pastry Fork

Pierced Nut Serving Spoon (8 inches)


Towle Silver Canterbury (Sterling,1893) Small Pierced Nut Serving Spoon



Seafood Fork (6 inches)
Towle Silver Canterbury (Sterling,1893) Cocktail/Seafood Fork

Flat Handled Butter Knife (7 inches)


Towle Silver Canterbury (Sterling,1893) Flat Handle Master Butter Knife


Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Arcadian by Towle

Arcadian was introduced by Towle in 1916. The terminal is diamond shaped with a floral motif at the top and bottom of the terminal. The stem and terminal are edged with a double line.



Fork (7 3/4 inches)




 Small Berry Spoon (7 7/8 inches)





Ice Cream Slicer (10 3/4 inches)



Lettuce Serving Fork (8 3/4 inches)



Monday, May 26, 2014

Simple Tiffany Patterns

Tiffany has several patterns that are fairly simple. In fact some may call them plain. They were introduced over a rather broad range of time, so it was not as if the House of Tiffany went through some "simple" phase. Here are some examples:

Windham (1923) (Bouillon Soup Spoon) (5 1/2 inches) (Arthur LeRoy Barney)

Round Bowl Soup Spoon (Bouillon)
Linenfold (1956)  (Cake Server) (11 inches) 

Pie & Cake Server With Stainless Blade

Hampton (1934) (Fish Knife) (8 1/8 inches) Charles B. Blake

Individual Fish Knife With Stainless Blade

Hamilton aka Gramercy (1938) (Large Asparagus Serving Fork) (9 5/8 inches) 

Large Solid Asparagus Serving Fork

Flemish (1911) (Ice Tea Spoon) (7 1/2 inches) 

Iced Tea Spoon