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?
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.
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.
Of all the "Pickle Pieces" the Victorians justified, this is one that I don't see that often. Like other knives, the Pickle Knife can easily be confused with a butter knife.
The Saratoga Chip Server is a curious piece that I have posted on earlier. Developed to serve the "new fangled" snack potato chips, the piece is actually a lovely ornate piece that is only found in the older patterns. Here are some more examples.
The Large Punch Ladle is a very recognizable piece of any pattern. It is also one of the larger pieces. Some are flat handled (as shown here) and some are hollow handled and most patterns have examples of both.
As I have discussed before, most patterns have a Casserole Spoon that is often referred to as a Berry Spoon. These pieces are some of the most ornate serving pieces in a pattern with elaborate designs of fruit and flowers on the bowl. Some companies will have more than one type of "casserole" piece in a pattern. Tiffany is one of these companies. Many of their patterns have a Kidney Bowl Casserole Serving piece. Here are some examples of those pieces.
Gorham introduced Royal Oak in 1904. This is a beautiful old pattern with deep detailing that truly lives up to its name. Acorns adorn the terminal and the back of the shoulders of the serving pieces are decorated with oak leaves and more acorns. Due to the depth of the detail, older pieces really show the beauty of the pattern.
When I started looking for Medicine Spoons, I thought I would find small spoons that one would use for a child. I was wrong. There were a few that I showed in an earlier post. For the most part what I found, with the exception of the Tiffany patterns, were partially covered spoons. But each example was unique in its own way. I continue my search for more examples.
The Cheese Pick is an unusual piece found in most of the older sterling patterns. Samples here very in length from 6 inches to 7 7/8 inches. All have teeth on the end of the slightly curved blade at the end. The number of teeth varying from two to four. Most are flat handled, however two examples here are hollow handled.