Peppi....I would love to see a picture of that silver.

I've had good luck on some pieces with the baking soda and foil method. I've had it work well enough to have to open a window and turn on the hood vent because the sulfur gas was so bad. I usually use Wright's cream though.

Linda, I'd need soup spoons in either Towle "Lady Mary" (but it's one of those patterns with the gumbo and the bouillon and the cream and that seems a little overboard--I need a "stew" spoon) or Gorham "Classique" which just has one type of spoon. The Towle isn't hard to find but the other is. And I'm terribly frugal. But there are some lovely Frontenac soup spoons on eBay right now...very tempting. I love that one!

Well, now you've convinced to use what I have. I pulled one of the teaspoons out today and it wasn't that badly tarnished. Found out on eBay that the pattern is Banbury by Rogers/Oneida. Will get the rest out, polish it all and start using it. Its been stored for over 40 years by me and I have no idea how long my aunt had it. My Noritake is a beautiful burnt reddish orange with gold design all over it, not gaudy, but truly Japanese and brings back so many wonderful memories from over 40 years ago. I have both the dinner service for eight plus the tea set with cake plates. I will use it for special occasions, but will have to get some gold plated flatware to match it because it won't work with silver. Won't use it every day because it has to be hand washed and I don't like that. Don't have any daughters or sons to leave it all too, so guess I'd better use and enjoy it. Its kind of ironic that I've not used the silver or the Noritake, but I've always used my crystal pieces.

pkramer, if you post a photo of your grandmother's silver, perhaps I can help with the id. If it's European, I'm sure I won't know the pattern name but perhaps the maker can be identified.

I don't mind polishing that much but everyday use does scratch the finish and I don't really like that look.

So while I do have a set of sterling -another with Old Master- I save it for special occasions so it will stay nice looking a long time. It helps make the occasion seem more special too.
My everyday stainless, Oneida Louisiana, is almost identical to the Old Master pattern so it's not that big a deal to not use sterling. It's not something I care that much about.
The one thing I would like to have though is a beautiful pewter pattern.

I don't have any silver pieces so I don't have to polish any of them. (grin) My current flatware came from Sam's Club, I think I got 18 knives for around $5.

Yeah, yeah, Elery's is nicer and we'll use that eventually when we actually live together, but he doesn't have silver either. He does have some lovely copper pans that he hung in my kitchen, the ones with the acorn on the handles/ lids. I never use those either, but he likes them and they are pretty.

I remember Grandma had a set of silver when I was a child and I had to polish the darned stuff, I hated that job worse than anything Grandma could make me do. Eventually times got even leaner than usual and it was a choice between selling the silver and losing the house, so the silver was sold, I think it made two house payments.

Nope, no china either...

Annie

Fori, a gumbo spoon is for stew although it may seem large by today's sizes & is the least formal of all soup spoons. The Victorians considered them for family suppers whereas an oval soup spoon was for formal dinners. From the frugal standpoint, oval soups are probably easier to find & a little less expensive.

For soup, gumbos are my favorite. IMO, bouillons are too small to be useful & cream soups weren't made in all older patterns.

Interesting....I find the oval soups harder to find in the old patterns than the gumbo.
In the Pattern I am collecting for my grand daughter,I have found 13 gumbo spoons, but only 1 oval soup. And she really loves eating her morning cereal with an oval soup spoon....also called a place spoon.
And the other old pattern I have for me I have found 3 gumbo spoons and only 1 oval soup. But keep in mind one of the parameters to finding is "at a good price".
I have 5 boullions in Meg;s pattern....and they really are tiny....Maybe a soup spoon for a little kid!
Well I remember when dinner out at a nice restaurant meant choice of a tomato juice cocktail or grapefruit juice, served in a small 6 oz glass on a plate with a doily and a wedge of lime, followed by a bowl of boullion or jellied madrliene served with a lemon wedge....and my mother saying "now, don't fill up on soup, you won't want your dinner!"
I love having nice silver to use, and as much as I have enjoyed collecting a set for Meg, I will miss it and looking for more, when it;'s time to give it to her....she's 19 so it won't be too long.
Linda C

Linda, maybe it's a regional thing as to whether oval or gumbos were the preference. Or maybe it's because I collect the gumbos "at a good price" & it seems there are always ovals out there but few gumbos, LOL.

Oh drats, Linda & antiquesilver!

I've never spent much time learning patterns & piece types of sterling flatware...just collected additional pieces for the 'Strasbourg' SS I inherited.

It came with oval soup spoons & I've added a dozen cream soup spoons. I received 2 bouillon soups as a gift from my DIL & I'd like to add another 10. I've never heard of gumbo until now.

I just checked replacements.com & they've got all 3 styles. Either I'm blind, dumb, or taking really good meds but I can't see the difference between the cream soups & the gumbos?!

Is it the handle length? Do I need gumbos too?

Linda, your tomato juice cocktail reminded me when we first moved to NH darn near every restaurant started off a meal with a dish of canned fruit cocktail. It's an old New England tradition (supposed to show hospitality because fruit is expensive). Now, I rarely encounter the custom. I'm grateful. For me, the acid in pineapple on an empty stomach doesn't bode well for the rest of the evening. Same thing with those tomato juice cocktails. I remember being very young (like under 5-6) & receiving those at the Hacienda Hotel in Fresno when my aunt/uncle would take me for Sunday brunch & to watch the underwater ballet performance. lol

So, what's the difference between those cream soups & the gumbos??

Thanks,
Tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: replacements.com

Hehe. I would prefer oval (place spoons--that's it!) because that's what we use now in stainless, and what I've used my whole life. In the old pattern, the place spoons are hard to find, the roundy ones are easier. And I do have the same parameter as Linda--"at a good price".

I assume since the Towle set was not a premium line when new that people bought it only for special occasions which would not only explain why my great grandmother didn't have soup spoons (maybe it's regional but we didn't do soup at holidays) but why the oval spoons aren't as available.

The other pattern? I don't know. It was the 60s. Maybe people were having fondue instead of soup. I just can't bring myself to pay more for a place spoon than a serving spoon. (I could bring myself to eat from a serving spoon though...)

Claire, sorry to make your thread swerve. I do want to see photos of your sparkly silver--and it's held up pretty well in the dishwasher over the years?

Tricia, gumbo & oval soups (aka place spoon, dessert spoon) are longer than cream soups. Typical length is about 7" & 6.5" respectively. And the bowl is larger on a gumbo.

Peppi, I would LOVE to pass it on, but it's not mine. I'm just the "lucky" holder of it.

It's part of all the stuff that won't fit into her house that she left here in storage (Storage meaning whatever she didn't pack to take with her.)

There's a 12 place setting of Wedgewood in the closet, too. Can't do anything with that either. It's supposed to go to the SIL eventually, but MIL is still very much alive and SIL hasn't made a move to claim it. (My guess is that when it does go to her, she's just going to sell it anyway. She hasn't the room for it and never entertains.)

It's all very silly to me. If you aren't using it, why wait to pass it on or sell/donate it?

Jkom, I'd like to see that Thai bronze flatware.

Anybody not have silver and would like to? High-quality silver plate is the biggest bargain on Ebay. It's often cheaper than ordinary stainless. People got this stuff in the 1920's or 1930's, and used it once a year, maybe never. You can get whole sets for almost nothing. I sometimes want to buy it just to save it. Not sterling, but has heavier plating on the stress points, and will outlast all of us.

Christine, that is so true! That's what I have--a jumbo set of plate from the 30sish that I picked up when I was going to have a bunch of people over. I was looking for pieces to enlarge a set I had and thought ooo I like this better and it's sooooo cheap. It IS cheaper than stainless and I SHOULD use it more and just stick it in the darn dishwasher. If it dies, so be it. If I love it so much that its death s a tragedy, I can cough up the cash to replate and repair it can't I?

And it has six types of spoons, not including baby and serving spoons. The bouillon spoons (I think) have a tiny bowl. Good for dieters maybe. (I need to read more carefully or take a French cooking class I think--I had no idea the word was "bouillon"!)

I love the old dishes and silverware. But I can't handwash every day so I find this discussion very educational!

For anyone who's interested in Frontenac, I've posted a photo of some of the place pieces on the Antiques Forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Frontenac

Here's a picture of all the spoons in Gorham Wreath.

No iced tea spoon?

Nope....and you know I didn't even miss it....now I'm on a quest!

You need them! What if she ends up in the South?

(They are really root beer float spoons.)

To keep this food related....how about recipes for parfaits?
I remember a lot of years ago, my MIL wanted parfait glasses....and bought some very lovely ones....and for family meals for dessert, she would serve a parfait...strawberry was the favorite, but chocolate and peach appeared too.
Off to search out some parfait spoons....AKA iced tea spoons.

Parfait spoon - don't have any. How have I lived without them?

bcskye--You can totally mix silver flatware with gold-rimmed china! Gold-washed flatware really looks like you're an oil sheikh, I think, or Donald Trump.

I had silver plate that my Mother used to have. She gave it to me when I got married, and I gave it to my daughter when she got married.
Since then I have always wanted silver, and never got around to getting any. Now, I am fine with my Reed and Barton "quail" stainless that I use at Thanksgiving, and my el cheapo stainless that I bought at an outlet store.
If silver wasn't so expensive, I would get some. But, I really do not need it.
I do envy all of you with lovely silver though. Some beautiful patterns shown here.

Sherry, really, as I said above, very good silver plate is cheap beyond belief on Ebay. The prices are all over the place; people don't now what to charge. Often you see four spoons offered for the same price as a whole set of the same pattern.
If silver would give you pleasure, you should have it.

You never know for sure if old china is dishwasher safe. I inherited a set of occupied-Japan china with gold rims. To test the fastness of the gold trim, I put one saucer in the dishwasher, and left it in for a month or two. I checked it every time I emptied the dishwasher, but could never find any change. We do use the china now, and wash it in the dishwasher.

LindaC is our resident silver expert; I have always looked to her for guidance on this topic. You all have some beautiful patterns! I love the Frontenac pattern.

When I first got married, my mother and I picked out R & B Francis I. We alternated for several years making the monthly payment. When we were at Paney Camp in NC, Teresa took us to the Replacements showroom; that was a great experience. I checked into what my set was worth then told my daughter so she wouldn't sell it at a garage sale.

Cathy....I only wish the Frontenac were mine....
I fell in love with Louis XV....and with Old Master....and watched my daughter fall in love with Old Colonial.....and I have a budding yen for Etruscan....
Go figure!!

Ideefixe, my Noritake doesn't have just a gold rim, its an elaborate gold design all over each piece. I pulled out one of the cups and it looks like gold flying peacocks and ? all over it. I was too young when I got it to care about what the pattern was called and when I contacted Noritake a year or so ago, I was informed it was a discontinued pattern and that was it. Not another word. Some day I will find out the pattern name. I have found a set of the gold plated flatware that I'm now trying to get. Since I've got the bug and decided to use it, I would really like to do it up all the way.

bcskye, Replacements will ID patterns for you. I can't remember the process, but it's on their website. I think you send them certain pictures (front, back, etc).

This thread got me inspired so I dug out my silverware. It was an original wedding present from my sister. It is International Deepsilver which is silver plate. I cannot remember the pattern name! I have not looked at this silver for at least 22 years! Now I think I may polish it up and try to replace the missingknife if I can find out the pattern name!

Here's a picture of it close up so you can see the design

I don't use my sterling flatware on a daily basis but it has become a tradition for us to use the good china & sterling whenever we have breakfast for dinner. There's something about scrambled eggs, home fries, & ham that's perfect with the good linens, sterling, & china.

I'm pleased to see a few have become inspired to use their silver.

/tricia

doesn't look like it needs much polishing to me!
Sent that picture of the knives to Replacements and they will find and sell you a knife.
And bcskye, "gold toned" flatware is very inexpensive. There are lots of sets now on ebay, service for 12 for prices ranging from $24 to about $60....with the chest! I think that style was a flash in the pan about mid 1970's. If you want some, it's available very inexpensivly, but silver would be my choice even with the gold on your china.
Linda C

I looked up the pattern and it is called "Laurel Mist". I went to the replacement site and ordered the dinner knife!!! Now if only I had the silver polish in the house. We are having a blizzard so i won't be able to get to the store to buy any until at least tomorrow if I am lucky! I am so eager to use it again. It looks pretty good except for the ends of the tines of the forks and some of the serving pieces are tarnished!
Joann

Ghoghunter, I was about to say 'hey that's Laurel Mist!' I know that one!! I grew up with that and still have a few serving pieces. (I don't know why my mom had some of that--it isn't old enough to have been handed down to her, but it also wasn't old enough for her to have lost most of the set by the time I remember using some of it.)

A complete set though! I'm jealous. It has a distinct midcentury flair while being girly and pretty. The matte finish is perfect for everyday use too. No worries about scratching. Use it!

Ghoghunter...in a pinch tooth paste will work....be gentle because some tooth paste can be a bit abrasive....but wet a sponge, add a little tooth paste and see if you can't get the dark off the tines.
I used toothpaste years ago when I bought a wonderful old sheffield candle stick while we were on vacation at a cabin on a lake. Couldn't stand it and I polished that candle stick with crest!
Linda C

Fori...that's so funny that you knew the pattern. When I did the search on International Deep Silver it was the first picture to come up. It apparently was first made in 1966. I got married in 1968!

Lindac..thanks for the tip on the toothpaste. I may try that. I am an impatient person!!!
Joann

I got out three place settings and polished them up with Colgate!!! They look great. I am making a pot roast for us tonight..DH, DD and me and we will eat with the silver!

Colgate???!!! Not Crest???!!! ;-Q

Claire, you may have started the movement to resurrect formal dinnerware! Glad to see so many have been inspired to pull out the silver polish.

Laurel Mist looks very 1960's to me. Definitely use it; I'm so glad you discovered it again.

Antiquesilver, that's funny you say that, because I don't think of mine as ''formal'' at all. (At least not until I have to start polishing it.)

Linda, I love that you had to get after the polishing with toothpaste! (I've even heard you can use toothpaste to fill holes in plaster, although I don't think I would.)

This thread is wonderful and has generated a lot of good for all of us. So much help given and so much enthusiasm. I love it.

I am so close to throwing my current everyday flatware into the camping supplies and putting my silver into use. Problem? Too many different pieces and not enough slots in my cutlery thingy! Ahhhhhhhhhh!

Fori, that is not an excuse! Buy a bigger cutlery thingy or get one that you can customize. Or better yet, buy a silver chest that can be left close to your eating area.

Claire, I don't think of it as formal either, but guests (& family) tend to think they're at a grand affair when they use silver instead of stainless - even if you served stone soup in a coffee mug! It's weird, but it tends to make a meal feel special.

Ghoghunter, what a nice pattern! Not fussy, and looks like it would feel good in the hand.

Slots in the cutlery thingey have nothing to do with it....this is my kitchen silver drawer....just don't let those neat people on the organizing thread see this....and I do notice a little of the yellow ickies on the silver....gotta get at that!

antiquesilver, normally I would agree with you about making a meal feel special...but only when it's polished! Considering the icky tarnish I had before polishing, I don't think anyone felt too special around here. ;)

Linda, I have a drawer that looks exactly like that. It's funny that I came home to your picture, because while I was out this afternoon, I bought a bigger cutlery tray so I could ''neaten'' things up! (Yours still looks good to me though.) It's the other stuff in my drawer...like the flashlight, pruning shears and scissors that are junking up my drawer.

I want to see the rest of Linda's lilac kitchen!

And the cow.

Up until 12 years ago I worked in the food service industry, so I have lots of silver plate flatware. Once I was in the upper closet of a Sheraton where I worked and found boxes of Oneida Silver Plated Hotel Flatware, asked the GM about it, and he said take it,it was enough for 100 place settings! I have other boxes of sets of 12 or 24 settings that were given to me by GM's when cleaning out closets. I like the hotel silverplate, it's heavy and the knife handles are solid. The spoons get a tad yellow and I just wipe with Wrights Silver Polish. That's is my everyday stuff.
As for cleaning in the dishwasher, thinking back I would have to say it takes about 30 years or so to toss the silverplated flatware washed in a dishwasher.
Have to admit I am anal about the baskets in the dishwasher, being trained to put the knife blades down so not to poke yourself getting out, separate the spoons, forks and serving and utility in separate baskets.

The Sterling set, I hand wash, it's sentimental. When I was a very young girl our family had a contract for vending machine sandwiches. On the bread bags there was a coupon on the side to cut out and redeem for sterling flatware.
They would save all the bags for when my Grammie came to visit in the summer and she and I would sit and cut out the coupons. I still remeber bead crumbs and plastic sticking to me, lol. I would have to look but I think we cut enough coupons for a set for 24.

Sterling doesn't tarnish as fast as plated, I keep mine is a chest with silver cloth, takes no time at all to shine up.

Linda, I think the set you have is the same as what my Mom had, sure looks like it from the pic. I wish my cutlery was as wide as yours.

Busylizzy, that's a sweet story about you and your grandmother. What a nice memory to call up every time you see your sterling silver.