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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Hints on Multi-Purpose Serving Pieces

We ran across an old brochure from Ross-Simons the other day that had some handy tips regarding using certain serving pieces for multiple purposes. We thought the information was worth posting here, especially with Thanksgiving just around the corner. The text is copied directly from their brochure. We added the pictures. Thanks, Ross-Simons!

Sugar Spoon... ideal for jellies, jams, condiments and sauces - as well as sugar.



Butter Spreader... serves as a perfect preserve spreader, cheese spreader or fruit knife, too.


Pierced Tablespoon... use alone to serve vegetables in their own juice - or combine with a cold meat fork for a handsome salad serving set.


Cold Meat Fork... for cold meats, cheese slices, chops, waffles, sliced tomatoes, spaghetti - and to match up with the pierced tablespoon for a salad serving set.


Tablespoon... perfect for serving vegetables, fruits, desserts, casseroles and stuffing.


Gravy Ladle... the correct way to serve gravy, creamed dishes, sauces, syrups - even cut up fruits.


Pie/Cake Server... slices and serves pies, cakes, pastries and fish.


Iced Beverage Spoon... You'll want these stirrers for iced tea, parfaits, sherbets, sodas - and retrieving food from tall jars.


Cocktail Fork... essential for seafood - and perfect for serving pickles, lemon slices and butter pats.


Send us an email or post a comment 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.

Monday, November 23, 2009

U.S. Government Restriction on Pattern Pieces?

A blog reader sent in the following question:
I remember reading somewhere that the US government limited the number of pieces that could be made in any pattern. I believe I remember reading this was after the Victorian era because they created so many pieces. Is this true and if so what did they limit the number to?
No one in our group is aware of this. Can anyone out there help? Send an email or post a comment.

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.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Top 10 Most Popular Patterns of Sterling Flatware

This ought to get us in trouble!

Here's our opinion concerning the ten most popular sterling flatware patterns in terms of units still being purchased regularly. We have some "loose" statistics to back up our opinion but we don't have access to all sales data for new and used pieces. So, take it for what it's worth. It's just our opinion. The list is ordered more less by popularity as we see it but one could definitely argue that a particular pattern belongs higher or lower in the list.
  • Chantilly by Gorham
  • Francis I by Reed & Barton
  • Prelude by International
  • Repousse by Kirk-Stieff
  • Old Master by Towle
  • Royal Danish by international
  • Grande Baroque by Wallace
  • Strasbourg by Gorham
  • Rose Point by Wallace
  • Buttercup by Gorham

Please send us an email or post a comment if you have other ideas. We're going to post this list also in our Examiner.com column to see what arguments we can generate there.

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, November 16, 2009

Information Request - Silver Flatware from Greece

We have been asked if we know anything about the flatware in the pictures. It's from Greece. The original owner lived in Greece many years ago.

We have no knowledge about this but if anyone out there knows anything about it, please post a comment or send us an email. For example, we would like to know pattern name, silver content, manufacturer, definition of the hallmark or anything else that will help the blog reader know more about this set.






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, November 11, 2009

Inside a Hollow Handle Knife

After watching the YouTube video in the previous post, we decided to investigate the inside of a knife handle on our own. In the first picture is a fairly old Gorham Chantilly knife. We estimate that this knife is between 60 and 80 years old but that's just a guess. There was a crack in the blade so we didn't mind ripping it apart to see what was inside.


In the second and third pictures, you can see where we have peeled the sterling outer casing of the handle back a bit. You can see the round shaft of the blade embedded in epoxy inside the handle. We have knocked a bit of the epoxy away at this point.




The third and fourth pictures show the sterling casing with roughly half the epoxy removed. In the fourth picture, you can see a bit of the remaining epoxy in the lower portion of the handle.




The final picture shows the knife blade with the round extension normally embedded in epoxy. You can see indentations probably designed to help it grip the epoxy. There is a bit of epoxy laying beside the blade. This was taken from the tip of the handle. You can just make out some of the Chantilly design in the epoxy.

We weighed the sterling we removed from the knife. It was roughly 30% of the weight of the original knife. We don't know if that's a good working estimate for all such knives because construction techniques may differ.

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Monday, November 9, 2009

Example of Hollow Handle & Weighted Sterling

We ran across this YouTube video recently. It illustrates the construction of hollow handle sterling flatware and weighted candlesticks. It's not great quality but watch and listen carefully - you'll understand the basics. It's worth watching.

Refining Silver Flatware and Tableware

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Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Question About Ice Cream Forks


Ice cream fork and spoon from a 1914 Gorham
document describing the Chantilly pattern

A blog reader has sent us some questions about ice cream forks. Basically, she wants to know the history of such pieces and their status. For example, do sterling flatware manufacturers still make them and if not, when did they stop?

I don't have the detailed answers the reader seeks. We'll appreciate comments or emails from anyone who has facts on this topic. Thanks to any who respond.

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.