posted 04-17-2006 09:48 PM            

Hello all,

I have been thinking lately about the fate of silver collections. Most of the people I know who like silver actually inherited very little of it. The silver bug seems to have infected them, and was not some hereditary trait. On the other hand, I have met people who inherited a few pieces which served as a springboard for a collection, as well as some who have "the family silver", but collect items that are completely unrelated.

Anyway, I was thinking that it might be fun to hear from people who had collectors among their ancestors, or stories of the acquisition and current whereabouts of "the family silver". I don't have much to say about it myself; I am practically a first-generation silverphile. The best I can do is a set of sterling salt spoons of my great grandmother's. I never heard of there being any salt cellars, but I do have the spoons!

Anyway, I'd love to hear what others have to say!

Brent

posted 04-17-2006 10:22 PM            

Here's one for you.

One of my grandparents was a doctor, and in 1907 (the year my mother was born,)was presented with a silver jug by a grateful patient. Just before WW1 he went overseas to a medical conference in England, and perhaps unwisely, his nurse accompanied him. It appears he never returned, was eventually divorced, and went on to build a second (medical) career in England. A second family as well.

His only son was very bitter about this, and family records about the grandfather, and mementos of him, seem to have vanished over the years. All I ever saw of him was a grainy copy of a portrait of him from a book.

Three years or so ago I was viewing a local auction, and in the bottom of one of the cabinets was a silver jug, with inscription, and a handwritten tag on it mentioning that the doctor was local. That was the jug!

Needless to say, I bought it. It turned out that the deceased (estate) vendor had at one time been a neighbor of my grandmother after the separation. How they ended up with it (gift or sale) we'll never know. But it's now back in the family after the best part of a century.

For interests sake - the jug was what would have been called a "Queen Ann" pattern,vase shaped with the lower half gadrooned, and hallmarked Sheffield c1905. When I get a camera and some skill I'll hang a photo on here for you.

Cheers,
Adelapt

Some things take a while...
here's the image (I hope).

posted 04-18-2006 01:17 AM            

Since I am one of those oddballs that likes to research I started checking it all out. It was like a puzzle and the more I found out the more interesting it became. The library was wonderful and so has this group been.

Now I keep my eyes open for other nice things. I have bought a few things in shops, a few things at estate sales and one thing on the internet that was inexpensive My newest purchase was an inexpensive plated (probably) spoon from the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago with the newly invented Ferris wheel engraved in the bowl. I have a glass paper weight from that worlds fair and had read about that Ferris wheel.

posted 04-18-2006 03:42 AM            

Mom was married right after WWII, decided on her silver pattern (Towle's Rambler Rose), real life set in, and until about 25 years ago, had just two lonely teaspoons in their original wrappers. She had a nice old set of Int'l Anniversary silverplate, but I can remember her taking out those spoons and wistfully speaking of completing her set. That may be where my respect for silver started. Now she has a large service for 12 of Towle's Candlelight, her taste didn't change much over the years.

Without any real heirlooms of my own, have developed a weakness for nice monograms of initials from my family tree (instant heirlooms!), and once found a coin mustard spoon with my Dad's initials and our somewhat uncommon last name. Another favorite is a Simons oval trinket box with one of those lovely intertwined multi-letter monograms and the inscription "To Sunshine July 17 1898 1899". Sunshine has been one of my nicknames since childhood, figured it was meant for me.

Speaking of returning pieces to their roots, I have a fondness for mid-century American and Scandinavian Art Pottery and had five of the same piece (different glazes) by a potter I'd been unable to track down. Decided to choose my favorite and sell the other four, ended up with a bidding battle between a prominent pottery dealer and someone else. The someone else was the artist's daughter, she only ended up with two, when I heard who she was, offered her the piece I kept. She asked me if I loved it and when my response was affirmative, she said the thought of other people appreciating her Dad's work made her just as happy as having the pieces herself. Thought that to be a very sweet sentiment.

Cheryl

posted 04-18-2006 08:47 AM            

I just remembered another neat bit of luck that struck me. I once found a souvenir spoon from Stryker, a small town in northwest Ohio that happened to be my father-in-law's hometown. Since the population is under 2,000, even today, it is amazing that there was ever a souvenir spoon made, and that it came eventually to someone who would appreciate it.

posted 04-18-2006 08:58 AM            

When my mother, who is a retired antique dealer, closed her business, my father sold off his collection of coin spoons that he had amassed while going to shows and shops with my mother. He gave me the spoons that he had not identified, which started my love of coin spoons, and which still brings great fun and challenge as I try to whittle down the pile of unidentified makers (made much smaller thanks to this site, and to wev's geneaology work!).

posted 04-24-2006 08:41 AM            

quote:

---

My father is still very much alive at 92, so I enjoy my silver inheritance at his house! Among other items there that I love is this Tiffany salad set.

I don't know anything to speak of about Tiffany but the pattern is really beautiful, I think - so different from the plain 18th century silver that I'm more familiar with. I'm hoping that someone can tell me the name of the pattern and when it might have been made. I think the set was a wedding present to my grandparents in 1912. TIA!

---

posted 05-25-2006 10:14 PM            

What's left is basically some pieces of 1920s jewelry, several pieces of 1920s Chinese silver (standard stuff: cigarette and card cases, etc., with typical dragon motifs, though of rather fine quality), and heavy '20s Chinese 23k gold jewelry (my great-grandparents lived in Shanghai for a while). Also several key fobs, pins, etc. from the Shangai Race Club.

Passed down with these items was a photograph depicting my great-grandparents' car, some kind of large and expensive luxury model, in the front seat of which sat the pet monkey. I am led to believe that a large portion of the funds used to make such Norma Desmond-like purchases as a pet monkey was eventually squandered at the Shangai Race Club, rather than saved for great-grandsons.

The only other silver items we have left are a pair of typical London salt cellars from the 1750s, and a large London tankard, circa 173x, with a period engraving that reads, "Ma". Judging by the signs of use on the tankard, Ma made frequent use of that particular vessel.

posted 02-02-2010 11:25 AM            

quote:

---

My old post from posted 04-17-2006 10:22 PM long-promised photo on it now...
Cheers,
Adelapt

---

posted 02-03-2010 10:40 AM            

When I was still a youngster, my family was unloading boxes of rubbish from my grandfather's house (which had been his father-in-law's house). I rescued a few silver objects, which I still have; but one thing haunts me. There was a teaset, three or four pieces, that was probably coin silver and from the 1820s or 30s...but I wasn't knowledgeable enough at that point to understand that. All I remember is that the spouts were DUCK HEADS. I could kick myself to not snagging that. It was auctioned off (for nothing, I'll bet) at Palmiter's Auction house in Waterville, NY, probably in the early 1970s. I've love to just see it again so that I can understand what it is, and possibly even who originally owned it. No one else in my family has any memory of this, so it is the curse of being a curator.

posted 08-15-2010 11:52 AM            

I have been hanging out in the new members forum for a while and this is my first post as full member. I have enjoyed reading this thread and have some family silver to tell you about -- two pieces.

When my grandmother passed away and the house was being cleared for sale, my mother and aunt told me I could have her flatware if I wanted. Of course I did. It is Gorham Buttercup. While clearing it out of the drawer in the sideboard I also came across a very huge and very black fork that I assumed at the time was some sort of serving fork, and they told me I could have that too. It cleaned up nicely and turned out to be a dinner fork in the Tiffany Custom Engraved pattern. And, it also turned out to have a wonderfully and fully engraved back that told its story. It was a gift to my grandfather when he graduated in the 1902 class of Stevens Institute of Technology in Newark. What I love most is that it was a gift from the landlady of the apartment he rented. Here it is:

On the back of the handle:

And, finishing on the back of the fork, S I T for the school:

My other favorite is a silverplate bread tray which was a wedding gift to my grandparents in 1905. The tray is grand and very Art Nouveau. When my aunt sent it to me, she included a note that said she was always very fond of it "tho your Mom said it gave her the whillies as it made her think of Ophelia floating down the river." Of course I now always think the same thing.

And, one of the two "Ophelia's"

It was made by E.B.Webster Manufacturing:

posted 08-15-2010 03:25 PM            

I think you have a typeo in the above:
1309 class should really be 1902

posted 08-15-2010 06:05 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Scott Martin:
.....I think you have a typeo in the above: 1309 class should really be 1902

---

Thank you Scott, and you are correct. It has been corrected, thank heavens. I have been having a hard time getting edits to "take", but I see that one did.