Silver Handled Buttonhooks
In the 19th century Birmingham was big in the manufacture of silver and the majority of silver handled buttonhooks found today have Birmingham hallmarks, although you will also find Chester and Sheffield hallmarks. You will be able to date your buttonhook by these hallmarks, but they can be tiny and you might need an eyeglass. Also, many hallmarks have been rubbed away with constant use and some pieces have no hallmark at all although they are genuine silver.
Silver handled buttonhooks would initially have been sold as part of of a dressing table set that would have included other items for good grooming, such as brushes, combs and a mirror. Many of the silver handles were heavily embossed with all sorts of flourishes, reflecting the Victorian taste. From a collector’s point of view the most valuable items are those that include birds, animals, cherubs and other subjects. This type of buttonhook can be expensive but there are also bargains to be found. Continue reading »
Filed under Silver | Tags: collecting, English hallmarks, glove hook, hallmarks, sheffield hallmark, Silver, silver buttonhooks, silver handled buttonhooks, silver handles, silver on a budget, sterling silver | Comment (0)Collecting Pickle Forks
The two-pronged forks are referred to as ‘Puritan’ and nobody seems to quite know why. Forks arrived relatively late at the English table and our ancestors would have used the blade of a knife for eating well into the 17th century.
Pickle forks made their appearance once sets of silver cutlery became popular and there were some fine Georgian solid silver examples of the pickle fork. Later ones were made from Sheffield Plate or electro-plated nickel silver (EPNS) in Victorian times. Pickle forks became widely available and it is the variety of design in the handles that makes them so collectable today. Handles would be produced in ivory, bone, agate or mother-of-pearl and could be plain, twisted or carved. Often a pickle fork would be part of a set that would also include a butter knife and a jam spoon. Look out for solid silver handles with hall mark and maker’s mark. The length of the handle was increased during the Victorian era, as they introduced larger pickle jars. Continue reading »
Filed under Silver | Tags: flatware, Pickle Fork, Silver | Comment (0)