Talk to me about silverware!...

[Shangas]

Hi folks,

About two months ago, now (or probably a bit more), my father and I purchased an antique silverware box from the local flea-market. It's one of those low, flat, rectangular things made of wood, lined with felt, which people used to store their finest cutlery in.

Anyway, two months later, the box has been cleaned and revarnished and all that, and it's sitting on the side-table of our dining-room. The only problem is, we don't have any silverware that really goes with the box. The flea-market where we bought the box overflows with all kinds of things...one of these things being sets of antique and vintage silverware/cutlery. Because of this, my father and I want to buy a set of silverware to put into our cutlery-box. Only thing is...we don't know that much about silverware.

So...I'd like to hear from anyone here at the Fedora Lounge who owns and uses antique or vintage silverware. What should we look for? How do we look after it? Are there any particular makers, manufacturers or silversmiths that we should keep in mind? And anything else that might be important.

 

[LaMedicine]

Christofle

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christofle(Sorry it's in French.)
The company site.
https://www.christofle.com/#/home

 

[Lincsong]

It's hard to come across vintage "silverware" as opposed to vintage "silverplate silverware". This is because in the early 1980's when the Hunt Brothers attempted to corner the world market in silver, many people sold their "silverware".

I happen to have snagged my Grandmother's "silverware" when she died. Fortunately for me my cousin's and siblings didn't know the difference and thought most of what my Grandmother had was run of the mill Sears and Wards goods. When looking for wares to buy, it usually is stamped on the back "silver" or "silverplate". Buy the "silver". Real "silverware" has a "weight" to it when you hold it. My mother has "silverplate" that was given to her as a wedding present in 1952. When I compare the two, my Grandmother's "silverware" is heavier than my mothers "silverplate".

When you obtain a set, of course, hand wash, no dishwasher, and use a silver cleaning solutions.

 

[Qirrel]

If you want the real deal, buy only stuff that is marked with silver, or any other type of stamp, like 830s (which marks the silver content in the alloy). I personally don't mind if what i buy is plated. If the silver finish isn't worn down you can't spot the difference.

 

[Shangas]

Solid silver is *probably* stretching things a bit far. If plated silver is the next step down from that, what should I be on the lookout for in terms of quality?

 

[dhermann1]

There are several brands that stand out. In America Rogers or Oneida are high quality. Look on Ebay for flatware. You can really learn a lot by looking at Ebay descriptions and how much things go for.
There's a website www.replacements.com, that lists almost every pattern by every dish and flatware maker ever. And they have images of most of them. You can spend thousands of hours looking at them.
When you look at silver, learn to pick out the markings on the back of the handle. It's usually very tiny, but full of info. I believe most stuff that is sterling (i.e. more or less pure silver rather than plate) will have that little crossed L insignia that also identifies British currency.
BTW, I'm not sure that varnishing your box was the right thing to do. Most silver ware boxes I've seen seem to have oiled finishes. But I might be all wet on that. I'd say the best person to start with here in the Lounge would be Foofoogal. It's her business.

 

[Shangas]

Apparently my laze with terminology has created a problem here.

We did actually use oil. Danish furniture-polishing oil. The box looks great. It just needs some appropriate, period cutlery to fill it up...hence this thread. Dad and I are going to the flea-market again on Sunday and I wanted to get some information on vintage/antique cutlery before then.

 

[Chas]

I bought a mixed set of 30's bakelite handled flatware 'bout three years ago, and it continues to do very well. The set was mismatched, but then I started finding all sorts of matching pieces in my antiquing excursions, so now I have slotted spoons, ladles and even a sugar dispenser with matching (red) bakelite handle. Lucky. I bought a set of 1930's bakelite steak knives that are also top-drawer. Very reasonably priced, in their original box. Ebay.

They weren't made in China. That's the best part.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've been using a forties-vintage set of Rogers silverplate since the late '80s, and it does require a bit more maintenance than modern steelware -- plate will tarnish just the same as sterling, and it needs to be cleaned from time to time. The difference is that the plating will get thin from wear, and sometimes the base metal will discolor if it's exposed to acids -- if I spoon tomato sauce with a worn spoon, for example, I have to clean the spoon off right away or the base metal will turn green. The green comes off with cleaning, but its one more thing to watch out for. It's also a good idea not to leave worn plate sitting in the sink too long -- wash your silverware fairly soon after using it for best results.

If you eat or cook with a lot of eggs, be prepared to get a lot of tarnish. The sulphur compounds in eggs just love to turn silverplate brown.

Any good silver polish works for cleaning. You just have to make time to do it.

 

[Talbot]

Dad and I are going to the flea-market again on Sunday and I wanted to get some information on vintage/antique cutlery before then.

Good luck with Camberwell!

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"Silver is such hard work!, I greatly prefer Stainless steel flatware, and chrome tea and Coffee pots and creamers, I have some stunning Deco Style Cake forks from the 1990's in stainless steel"

 

[vitanola]

Silver is easier to care for than most folks think.

I don't recommend just throwing silver plated flatware into the dish-washer, unless you carefully segregate it from stainless, but solid silver is almost infinitely durable. We have several (ancestral) sets of plate, but actually USE our solid silver, an assembled set of old American Coin Fiddleback (serving pieces, spoons, teaspoons and forks, the knives are of course steel with bone handles) and a standard service of International WEDGWOOD pattern. The Wedgwood is actually more often used, as it has stainless blades and is less trouble to keep in good condition.

If the silver is oft used it seldom needs polishing. The only time we have had trouble was when we had a lady in to help with the housework who took it upon herself to clean the spoons with Old Dutch kitchen cleanser. The damage done by this abrasive would have been irreversible to plate, but I was able to burnish out the scratches on the Sterling.

Accumulating several sets of silver and china can be fun and inexpensive (though not with silver at today's $18.00/oz! We purchased ours back in the $4-5.00/oz days)

 

[Shangas]

Good luck with Camberwell!

Quite so, Talbot, quite so. Yes, we're going to Camberwell Sunday Market (the biggest, best and...sadly...only...flea-market in Melbourne) this weekend. That place is a TREASURE-TROVE for vintage-hunters. The things I've found there!

Four pocket watches, one watch-chain, one watch-fob, countless fountain pens, two cutlery boxes, dozens of DVDs...it's a wonderful place.

But now, we're hoping to find silverware (which seems to be found in abundance at the market, so that shouldn't be hard...we just want to know what's good!)

 

[Foofoogal]

18/10 silverplated. Not 18/0 but 18/10. very important.
I never seem to find any newer like this in pattern I love. Makes me so mad.


http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=32&sid=b8a3f284b100c86682390602dcd3c758
for silver.

 

[ColeV48]

I don't remember the names of what I have, but my family seems to have an over-abundance of silverware. I somehow ended up with two full sets, plus numerous serving pieces, and a few extra random pieces. It's all silver plated. I think most of this was my great-grandmothers:

 

[KittyT]

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christofle(Sorry it's in French.)
The company site.
https://www.christofle.com/#/home

Agreed. Christofle is the end all and be all of high quality silver.

I have a set (of Christofle) that I inherited from my grandmother, which unfortunately sits packed away at my mother's house. Hopefully someday I'll be settled down enough to be able to use it.

To repeat what most folks here have said, wash it by hand, don't let it sit in the sink too long, and don't use abrasive cleaners on it. And it's true that the more often you use it, the less likely it will be to tarnish.

 

[Shangas]

Are there any particular companies, silversmiths or cutlery-manufacturers that you folks would recommend? Dad seems set on not buying anything until he has a name to say, plated or solid silver be damned.

 

[dhermann1]

Here's a link:
http://www.silverpattern.com/patterns_in_silverplate.htm

 

[Puzzicato]

Stanley Rogers was established in 1930, I believe. They are an Australian brand, there should be loads of old stuff of theirs at the markets. I don't know if they do silver plate or if they always did stainless steel.

 

[Shangas]

Here's a link:
http://www.silverpattern.com/patterns_in_silverplate.htm

Thanks!! That's what I'm after.