posted 08-02-2007 05:28 PM            

After much discussion and deliberation, the Silver Salon Library Project settled at last on Hagan's Sterling Flatware: An Identification and Value Guide as the one flatware-pattern identification book most useful as a basic reference. Each of the references considered, however, have their own strengths, and it's difficult to make a single blanket verdict on which is "best". I believe Hagan was selected primarily as a compromise, as it offered a good balance of positive qualities despite a few shortcomings. Truly, it's best, if one is serious about it, to have every available reference. I have found numerous times that information that I needed was not included in what I would call my "favorite" flatware ID guide, and later discovered it in my second- or third-choice book. There's no cut-and-dry answer here.

However, if you really would like someone to point you to one single book, it would probably be helpful for you to explain in what context you would be using it. Tell us what you want from a flatware pattern guide, what would you like the guide to tell you, what dates would you like the guide to span, do you wish to have any more information than simply the pattern name and patent date? These factors can make a big difference in what a person may recommend to you.

As for me, I used the Jewelers' Circular/Keystone Sterling Flatware Pattern Index more than any other pattern guide. I found that the clear black & white photographs of flatware handles were easy to distinguish (in comparison, for example, to the ink drawings found in other guides). Also, it was neatly organized by manufacturer and by patent date, so with some knowledge of manufacturers' marks and familiarity with prevalent styles (for dating purposes), it was very simple and convenient to use. It is, however, nothing more than essentially a long illustrated list of patterns and dates. Nonetheless, for all of the major manufacturers and a few of the lesser ones, it proved "comprehensive" enough for me. Other references (Turner, Hagan, etc.) were only consulted as stand-bys, as for example, when trying to identify a piece in an obscure pattern, or by a little-known maker.

Here is the SSF Library Project review of Hagan:

quote:

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Hagan, Tere. Sterling Flatware: An Identification and Value Guide (Rev. 2nd Ed.). Gas City, IN: L-W Book Sales, 1999. 312 pp., ill. Composed primarily of tables featuring handle images for pattern identification, this is a must-have book for any silver pattern matcher or anyone interested in American sterling flatware. Also included is an excerpt of Towle Mfg. Co.'s catalog for its Old Colonial pattern, illustrating typical place and serving pieces to be found in most full-line patterns. The patterns are organized first by manufacturer, and by year of introduction. Indices allow searches by manufacturers, marks, and patterns. Although the book tends to fall apart after minor use, this can be remedied by putting the pages into plastic sleeves and then into a 3-ring binder. Another disadvantage is that line drawings are used instead of photographs. This often makes it a little more difficult to identify a pattern. The author gives no sources or references, but still this is the book of choice for any collector or professional in this field; the second edition is a significant improvement over the first.

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