One of my favorite items to collect and sell is antique and vintage silver. Just about every piece I find is tarnished. My friend Denise of My Vintage Gardens got me hooked on tarnished silver, so I never hesitate to pick up a piece that only a few years ago I would have passed up as dingy and worn.
While Denise still prefers a tarnished piece, I’ve really enjoyed seeing what lies beneath the patina that has accumulated over time. I occasionally find unfortunate scratches or silver loss, but sometimes I find a well-hidden monogram or design. That is always a thrill!
I love to research the pattern names and design dates. That information makes a piece even more interesting. And a pattern name certainly helps to get a piece to an owner who is looking for extras to go with grandma’s silver set!
In a recent hunt to identify a serving fork, I found a surprising little treasure ~ the advertisements that were placed over a hundred years ago for this gorgeous Astoria pattern by R. Wallace! Imagine a bride in 1899 looking over catalogs to choose her silver pattern just like brides do today. The ads with their beautifully detailed designs and information are a treasure themselves! What they do for our imaginations is a little gift for any collector!
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| Antique R Wallace Astoria Cold Meat Serving Fork |
For tips on how to get your silver from shabby to shiny, visit the How To Easily Clean Your Silver page at The Pink Rose Cottage.
