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Thursday, February 12, 2009

If It Weren't For The Hand-Washing. . .

. . . I'd use old silver plate flatware all the time.

But sadly, I am lazy, so it comes out for Thanksgiving, state occasions, dinner parties, and when I just want a bit of shine on the table. I have bits and pieces of many patterns, but I have a favorite, and . . .
..it is my show and tell for "Show and Tell Friday," hosted by Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home. Visit her there for links to more Show and Tell Friday blog posts.

I found my favorite flatware on Ebay when I was looking for bargains in elaborate sterling (which I never found!)
.
It's the "Georgian" pattern by Community, introduced in 1912.

All the knives are the Old French Blade style, with wide silver plated blades
, not stainless blades.


I have read that flatware manufacturers switched to stainless some time around the First World War. A shame. The
silver blades are razor sharp and wonderful to use! They slice through that Thanksgiving turkey like nobody's business.

I have service for about a ba-jillion, although I am still looking for unusual pieces --iced tea spoons, shrimp forks.

The silver boxes don't always look so messy. Well, OK, often they do. I didn't tidy up for your visit. When you see the "butler's pantry" picture, below, you will know for sure I didn't tidy up!

(At Thanksgiving this year, our first in this house, I couldn't find the smaller of the two silver boxes. It turned up near Christmas in a box marked "Winter Coats." Go figure. "A Gathering of Family and Strangers..." is the Thanksgiving post.)

Lots of old silverware has lovely old monograms. Most of ours are marked with "L," the first letter of our last name.
Others have an "H" -- my husband's initial, or a "C" which is mine.
A few random little cream soup spoons have "D" on them. The only one in the family with a "D" initial is our dog, Dion. I love those gigantic tablespoons. Check out their size next to the 9-inch knives!

I like using those huge spoons for soup. It's flashback time; you are 5 years old and sitting at the grownups' table. Sometimes it's good to feel small.

Here is where the silver lives, in what will eventually be restored as the butler's pantry. Right now it's an extraordinarily fugly passageway between my kitchen and dining room with a powder room on the other side of that door at one end.See? I told you I didn't tidy up.

Someday, fingers crossed, I will be able to show "after" pictures, with glass-front wall cupboards, a mahogany counter with a small nickel bar sink, a built-in beverage center . . . yeah. Well, at least I can paint it and do something to make it look less like a scullery.

Any suggestions for a mini-makeover? (Other than storing the recycling bin in another place!)


Weekend plans! My mirror hangers arrived in the mail yesterday, which means we will attempt to hang our big mirrors (read about them HERE )without incident.

Or at least without a lot of incident. Wish us luck! We don't want to bring on 7 years of bad luck if we can help it.

32 comments:

  1. Gorgeous silverware! I have some 'gold-plated' ones (from QVC I think) that I was given by my in-laws. They are really pretty and I only use them on special occasions.
    Your house looks fab too!

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  2. Oh yes, I wish you good luck in hanging those massive mirrors...we also have one that requires special hangers...don't know that we'll put it up in this house,tho.

    Don't know if you realized from reading my blog, but we just made a jumbo move from Arizona to Mississippi 4 months ago, so we are finally getting down to the last boxes to unpack. Oh, how I understand about finding items in boxes marked by the movers with a very general title like "Tools and Supplies". The word "supplies" was a catch word of our packers to cover stuff that had no real category!!

    Your silver flatware is wonderful because it is NOT perfectly matched. Several monograms keep the guests guessing...love the D for Dion!

    Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

    P.S. Wish I was close enough to attend your house blessing!

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  3. Hi Cass,
    Thanks for the neat post. I just recently really started being interested in silverware. I love that set you got on e-bay that is just what I would want. Have a nice week-end, Cindy

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  4. I love the monogram and the design of the silverware. Very pretty!

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  5. Nice silverware. I love it...plated, flatware, whatever it is called! Yours are beautiful and nice with the monogram.
    Enjoy your hanging of the mirrors!!

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  6. Hi Cass,
    Thank you for visiting my blog! Your silverware is lovely. I love the monograms on them. We have a silver set passed on from my grandparents. I think we've only used it a couple of times. Have a nice weekend!

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  7. Your silver is gorgeous! I think it's cool that there are different monograms, it adds to the charm.

    I feel for you coming across the silverware in a mislabeled box. Dh and I moved a lot in our first few years of marriage and it wasn't until the tenth move/5 years of marriage, that I unpacked our wedding china. My mil worried all that time that it might be the wrong pattern (it wasn't!).

    Have a great weekend!

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  8. Lovely silver. And I like your 'butlers pantry'.

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  9. Lovely silver I am envious! I also live in an old house in the heart of a logging community. I can identify with it eating up your money. I'll have to stop by often and see what you are up to.

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  10. Very pretty silverware! Thanks for stopping by my blog. :-)
    Karen

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  11. Those are so lovely! I love the monogram.

    I don't like hand-washing, either, so if I had any silver I would only use them on special occasions, too.

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  12. I love your silverware. That pattern us just stunning, and how lovely that it is monogrammed! What a delightful treasure - thank you so much for sharing all your photographs with us! ~Arleen

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  13. Yes, very beautiful silverware! I have an idea for that larger spoon. I think it would fit well in a big bowl of chocolate ice cream. :)

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  14. I really appreciate your silverware...I am on the hunt for C monogrammed pieces myself.

    Blessings,
    Susie

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  15. What a wonderful collection you have. I have some some where still packed away I hope. I am waiting to move again or finish this house.

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  16. Beautiful! I looked through some of your other posts too, I love your house and furniture, gorgeous!

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  17. Love the siverware and I also love your home. I looked at some of your other postings and the needlepoint chair is beautiful. I wish I could find one like it. Thanks for sharing.

    Blessings,
    Elizabeth

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  18. wow what a georgeous silverware....and your lovely house ...ohh...fabulous..
    Greetings Barbara

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  19. I love your cutlery (that's what we call it here).

    What a wonderful collection.

    I never heard the term Butlers Pantry until recently on blogs - we don't have those in Ireland :)

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  20. Hi Cass, Thanks for dropping by my blog. Your siverware is gorgeous, I remember my Nana having a beautiful set of silver and yes the knives were razor sharp! and the desert spoons were huge, whatever happened to dessert spoons??
    I wish you luck hanging the mirrors.
    I love your house too,it's gorgeous.

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  21. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY CASS
    DISCOVERED YOUR BLOG THROUGH WORDLESS WEDNESDAY AND I AM REALLY ENJOYING IT
    BLESSINGS
    debbie

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  22. So nice to come by and see your lovely home and all of the work you have accomplished. The silver pieces are beautiful ~ I especially love the "L" as that is my first initial! Thank you for taking the time to stop by my place and leave a comment!
    Kindly, ldh

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  23. Your silver is just gorgeous. I love the patina silver takes on and I do use what little I have very often. It just seems to brighten and dress-up even the most simple meal. I love your home and what a thrill to have a butler's pantry. Thanks so much for your visits to my blog. I always look forward to them. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY and God Bless. Hugs, Marty

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  24. so i read your blog and saw that you list a wonderful husband and two fabulous children, but what about the best and longest bestfried, Mardi?

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  25. Ah, Mardi... you clearly didn't read ALL of my blog posts.

    Read back, to "Something's Fishy" and you will find yourself!

    Say Hi to Joe. And Happy Valentine's Day; enjoy the KFC. Nothing more romantic than a bucket of Original Recipe. :-)

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  26. Love the flat wear. It is gorgeous. As far as the butlers pantry I WANT ONE!! Hugs, Bobbi Jo

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  27. I've really enjoyed looking through your blog tonight. Thanks for joining my blog party! Not sure how I hadn't been here before--by the looks of your blogroll, we share a lot of the same friends. :-)

    I love silver-plated flatware. It is a shame that it's so much work to take care of. I have some "heirloom" flatware from my husband's side of the family with their monogram on them that are special to us.

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  28. i love the monogram silver pieces! gorgeous!

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  29. I just love silver ware. I have lots of odd pieces that belonged to my maternal grandmother who must have brought a whole canteen all engraved with her to South Africa in the late 1800's. Imagine! Silverware in dusty, wild Africa. I love your old house. My is old (SA standards about 60 years!) and it also gobble money. But that is fine. I love to cherish it!

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  30. Thanks for your sweet comments on my Show and Tell Friday! My husband and I also love old houses. Ours is about 100 years newer than yours, though.:) We've been remodeling our 1929 house and garden for about 2 years now. Still have a few projects left. So your blog is very interesting to me!

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  31. Ooh...such beautiful silverware! I would love to have a collection someday, too.
    ~Kelli

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