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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Caveat Emptor Reminder

Followers of this blog should know by now that we are not fans of made up, or "custom", sterling flatware pieces. However, we can see they might address a specific need of a collector. So, they are OK as long as:
  • The buyer has a need that can be addressed by a made up piece
  • The price is appropriate
  • The buyer likes the look and feel of the piece
  • The seller discloses that the piece is made up

What brings this subject to mind yet again is a plethora of made up pieces being offered on eBay. Not all of the sellers disclose in their listings that the pieces are made up. Here are some clues to look for:

  • The handles strongly resemble dinner knife handles
  • The seller offers strikingly similar pieces in many patterns
  • The seller offers many pieces that have similar handles but different utility ends

Some made up pieces are not made with knife handles but are "carved" from other pieces. For example, a teaspoon or dessert spoon might be converted into an ice cream spoon.

If you are unsure of a piece you are considering, ask the seller about it. If you would like to read other posts about made up pieces, look in the column on the right under "Labels" and click on "Made Up".

We welcome your thoughts on this subject and we are willing to post comments from sellers of made up pieces.


Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Monday, July 27, 2009

About Forks, Part II

One of our earliest posts was called About Forks. Later, we added a post called Luncheon, Place & Dinner Size - What's the Difference?. Both posts dealt with the various sizes of forks one might find within a single pattern. This post adds additional information along the same line.

Sticking with our old friend, Chantilly by Gorham, for yet another example, we remind you that in the Chantilly pattern, there are two basic fork categories that are about 7.5 inches long - a "place" fork and a "dinner" fork (called "table" fork in early Gorham literature). The place fork is slightly narrower and lighter than the dinner fork. On the back of place forks in several patterns, Gorham imprints the letter, "P", inside a diamond shape.

The heavier dinner fork does not have any special marks regarding its size. Now, here's the rub, at least in the Chantilly pattern - Gorham has made at least two different dinner forks. Look at the picture below. The dinner fork on the bottom is the one we see most often. It has tines that are 2 inches long. The dinner fork on top has tines that are 2 3/8 inches long. Since both forks are 7.5 inches long overall, the top fork has a slightly shorter handle than the one on the bottom and the base area of the tines is also slightly shorter. The fork on top is about 1/16 inch wider than the one on the bottom.

So, if you are buying additional dinner forks, especially in the Chantilly pattern, make sure you understand how long the tines are. Most sellers, us included, will make sure that you know about it if the tines are 2 3/8 inches but we might not mention it if the tines are 2 inches. If it's not specified for some forks you're considering buying, ask the seller about it.

Here's another reminder - many sellers state in their ads that they are selling dinner forks when, in reality, they are selling luncheon forks, dessert forks or place forks. Always understand the overall length, width and tine length of forks you're considering. And, in the case of Gorham patterns, understand the distinction between place and dinner forks.

If you would like to see all our posts about forks at one time, look in the right column under "Labels" and click on "Forks".

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

About Asparagus Serving Pieces

We visited a very large antique show in Atlanta a couple of months ago. There were several dealers there who specialized in various forms of silver pieces. At least two dealers had large supplies of ice scoops and asparagus servers in various popular sterling flatware patterns. The pieces were all selling in the $40 to $50 range.

On close inspection of the pieces, it appeared that they were not manufactured by the original sterling flatware companies that owned the patterns. Instead, they looked like they each had a hollow handle cut from original pattern knives to which had been attached a "custom" ice scoop or asparagus server hood. In other words, these were "made up" pieces. You might refer to earlier posts regarding made up pieces. In the right column of this blog, under "Labels", click on "Made Up".

So, that set us to thinking, "What's real and what's not?" We looked at a book published by The Gorham Company in 1914 regarding their Chantilly pattern. The picture below was found in that book. Based on this picture, it looks like Gorham manufactured two basic types of Chantilly asparagus serving pieces at that time: an "asparagus fork" and an "asparagus server". The fork appears to have been made of solid sterling while the server had an attached "hood" that might have been made of sterling, silver plate or something else.

Here is a picture of "asparagus tongs" taken from the book published by The Gorham Company in 1910 regarding their Strasbourg pattern.
It appears that the current market price for these pieces varies widely depending upon the construction. We reviewed sales of asparagus serving pieces that actually sold on eBay over the last couple of weeks. Prices ranged from about $40.00 for an asparagus server with a non-sterling hood to about $560.00 for a solid sterling Chantilly asparagus fork and about $650.00 for Strasbourg asparagus tongs (the tongs looked different from the picture above).

We're not saying that you should not buy a "made up" piece. If it meets your needs and you like it and it's reasonably priced, buy it. What we are saying is that you should understand precisely what you are buying.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

What Exactly is Coin Silver?

Well, we can't define it "exactly". Coin silver flatware was manufactured in America from early colonial times to just after the Civil War. The raw material was melted European coins of the time. They were about 90% pure silver. Compare this purity with that of sterling which is 92.5% pure silver.

We found other references to coin silver flatware that included purity levels as low as 80% pure silver. Therefore, it's difficult to tell the purity definitively.

Coin silver may have a silversmith stamp consisting of the first letter and last initial stamped on the piece. Sometimes the city of manufacture was also stamped on the piece. Hallmarks are not consistent which does not help matters. We understand that several books are available on the subject that might help identify a particular piece by its hallmark.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Friday, July 17, 2009

What Exactly is Hollowware?

Here's how the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it:
vessels (as bowls, cups, or vases) usually of pottery, glass, or metal that have a significant depth and volume
So, "hollowware" (spelled "holloware" by some) pieces may not contain silver at all. Always understand precisely what a piece is made of before you buy it. If it seems to be silver, is it sterling or silver plate (or something else)? If it's sterling, is it solid sterling or weighted with something internally?
Above is a picture of a sterling pot, an example of hollowware. Below is a close-up picture of the bottom where you can see the word, "sterling".

Some people include items like serving trays within the hollowware definition. Although there is really nothing seriously wrong with doing this, it does not conform exactly to the definition so, again, make sure you know what the pieces are specifically.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Tired of Searching on eBay Over & Over?

Are you looking for that elusive piece of sterling flatware on eBay? Are you tired of going to eBay everyday to perform the same search? Why not let eBay do the work for you?

You can set up a "saved search" in eBay and whenever eBay finds a match for your search, it will send you an email. Suppose you are looking for a pickle fork in the Old Maryland Engraved pattern by Kirk-Stieff. I couldn't find one of these in eBay today, so I created a saved search to notify me when one is put up for sale. Here are the steps:
  • Click on "Advanced Search"
  • Type in your search parameters
  • Click the "Search" button
  • Click "Save this search"
  • In the new little window that pops up, give your search a name and specify how long you want to keep receiving emails related to this search (12 months is the maximum)
  • In the little window, click "Save"

Whenever someone places a new listing in eBay that meets your criteria, you'll receive an email. There is no obligation to bid or buy.

Here's what I typed as the search criteria for this pickle fork:

old maryland (pickle, pickel, lemon, olive) fork

Here's why:

  • I left off the word "engraved" because some sellers leave it out of the listing title. However, there is a pattern called "Old Maryland" so I may get some incorrect hits.
  • Some sellers incorrectly identify pickle forks, calling them lemon or olive forks.
  • Some sellers can't spell very well.

Send us a comment or question if you have other suggestions.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Help Cleaning Steel Knife Blades

A reader emailed us this question:
I want to ask a question about pitting on steel blades attached to silver handles: does anyone have any suggestions how to remove it? I have a lovely 1930's set of sold silver Kings Pattern dinner knives and the steel blades are pitted. I don't particularly want to have the blades replaced. I wonder whether any of your bloggers could suggest a solution to my problem.
I've not had much luck with this issue. I would also like to find a better way of polishing out abrasions on stainless steel blades. Does anyone out there have a solution? Send us an email or post a comment to this post.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Dessert Fork vs. Luncheon Fork

Many patterns include a fork that is roughly 7 inches long - this size is called a "luncheon" fork by many. We propose that such forks might actually have been designated "dessert" forks by the manufacturer. Look below at the picture taken from The "Buttercup" Spoons and Forks printed by Gorham Manufacturing Co. in 1900.

This document illustrates the pieces in actual size. The dessert fork is about 6 7/8 inches long. It appears to be ever so slightly wider and shorter than the "luncheon" fork we see today in the Buttercup pattern. Similar dessert forks also appear in Gorham catalogs of the same era for Strasbourg and Chantilly.

So, measure your forks carefully and make sure you know what you are buying when you add to your collection. We are interested in your thoughts on this subject. Leave a comment or send an email.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

The First "Revere Bowl"

In honor of our nation's birthday, this seems an appropriate topic for a silver-related blog. The term Revere bowl brings to mind a bowl with simple, classic lines. Although I think of a Revere bowl as being made of sterling, or at least silver plate, bowls of this shape have been made from many different materials. We know that Paul Revere was a silversmith so the connection between his name and a silver bowl is natural. But where did the design really originate?

The first Revere bowl is in the collection of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It's actually called the Sons of Liberty Bowl or Liberty Bowl. Paul Revere was commissioned in 1768 to make the bowl by fifteen members of the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization to which Revere belonged. According to the museum's web site:

The bowl honors ninety-two members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who refused to rescind their letter sent throughout the colonies protesting the Townshend Acts of 1767, which taxed tea, paper, glass, and other commodities imported from England. This act of civil disobedience by the "Glorious Ninety-Two" was the first public act of rebellion against the British crown and a major step leading to the American Revolution.

You can find much more information about the bowl and many pictures at the museum link above.

May we all have a joyous and safe Fourth of July!

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Another Reference Source - Hallmarks & Patterns

We received a comment today from the folks at Antique Sterling Research. Their blog has an impressive list of hallmarks and pattern identification information. If you are trying to identify hallmarks or a sterling flatware pattern, check it out.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.

Piece of the Day - Chocolate Muddler

Now and then, we'll post a "Piece of the Day" as we run across interesting pieces. Today's piece is a Gorham Buttercup chocolate muddler. We chose it because we like the name! The picture below was copied from The "Buttercup" Spoons and Forks, published in 1900 by Gorham Manufacturing Company. The piece is 8 3/8 inches long.

We have never used a chocolate muddler but we read on WorthPoint.com that they are used to stir hot chocolate in chocolate pots to prevent the chocolate from settling in the bottom.

Click on any picture to see a larger version. By clicking on "Comments/Questions" below, you can see posted comments and add your own questions and comments. Or, you can send us an email by clicking on "Email Silver Jim" in the right column.