posted 04-24-2001 02:01 AM            

Special Features
Tuscan took it's place along side Olive as one of the 1850's trendsetters away from the English standard patterns. It is interesting since it became an American standard and was produced by several manufacturers and silversmiths of the day. It was made in coin, and electroplate. There were two varieties of Tuscan- the one on the left is depicted in Turner as a Meriden Brittania/1847 Rogers pattern while the one on the right is depicted both under William Gale and Whiting.

Dating
According to Turner, both Wood & Hughes and William Gale were producing Tuscan by 1850 and others such as Whiting and Meriden Britannia carried it into the 1870's. What Turner depicts as the Rogers variety was likely produced by a number of manufacturers in the 1850's as the set shown here is marked "Hood and Tobey" which Kovel's describes as a narrow two years - 1848-1850.

Pieces Available
item size Our cost
Teaspoon 6" $15.00 all Hood & Tobey
Table Spoon 8.5" $20.00
Dinner Fork 7 1/2" $20.00
Dessert Fork 7�" $20.00
Photo:

Key Pieces
I am not sure if any interesting pastry or salad forks exist in the pattern. I have never seen one. I have not yet found a dessert spoon for my set. These are probably a little harder to find than the teaspoon and tablespoon as they were not always a part of the basic place setting of the 1850's. The tablespoon was used for soup. It would be a number of years before the specialized dessert spoon would become the now universal "oval soup".

Comments
I purchased the Hood and Tobey place setting in tact at a show. They appear to never have been used. They are very light and flimsy and show some roller marks as being produced by some inexpensive production methods of the day. They bend easily and at one point I even questioned if they were silver, but they certainly shine like silver.

I consider them a real historic find for the price. Apparently, I was one of the few with a historic interest, because when I saw the same dealer a year later he still had some.