posted 07-13-2010 11:13 AM            

Hello again,

I am writing today to get the experts' thoughts on what my little piece of Shiebler hollow ware may be. The person I bought it from thought it was a small serving piece, but that just did not seem right to me. However, I could come up with no uses that seemed to fit, so for years I have thought of it as my little Shiebler vessel. Last week I was looking at it again and believe I had a "Eureka" moment and figured out what it is. But, maybe I am wrong, so I decided to put the question to the experts on this forum.

The little lovely is only 2" tall and 2" across (excluding the curled handle).

Thanks for any thoughts you have!

Elizabeth

posted 07-14-2010 04:06 PM            

Toothpick holder: I also wondered about that, but only if Victorian tootpicks were much longer than current picks. Today's toothpicks barely clear the top.

Sugar bowl: Another thought I had, but I think it could only be used for demitasse. It is so tiny that the only spoon that would fit in it would be a coffee spoon. Teaspoons might fit in the bowl, but I think the handles would be a bit too long.

Wine taster and punch cup: new ideas for me. I never considered that this could be something for adults to drink out of. So, I tried it and it didn't work very well. This holds only 1/4 of a cup of liquid and it pretty much dripped down my chin as I tried to drink. Not a very desireable result.

That leaves Baby Cup: My current best guess. The main reason I decided on that is the condition -- all the bumps and bruises it has sustained. Ever since I bought it I have wondered how it got so banged up. It is thick and heavy as is typcial of Shiebler, but has many dents and the tail of the handle is bent a bit to one side which makes it wobble a bit.

The "eureka" moment was when I realized the condition is typical of baby cups and bowls -- at least my baby cups and porringer are like that. Suddenly I could just imagine some baby waving it around, dropping it on the floor and slamming it down on the tray of the high chair. What fun it must have been.

So, that is what my best guess is as of the moment.

posted 07-14-2010 09:20 PM            

I cannot see it as a baby cup, much too small IMHO, but heh, what do I know compared to other members here!

posted 07-15-2010 09:34 AM            

And, it is tiny, but, believe it or not, I have an even smaller baby cup. Here is a photo with one of my old cups on the left, this one in the middle and my best cup on the right. This holds 4 oz. of liquid compared to only 2 3/4 oz in my old cup.

This cup is only 1 7/8" wide; my old one is 2 1/8" but its straight sides make it easier to drink out of.

I see no signs of this one ever having had any sort of lid or top. Its lip is rolled, as is the one on my old cup. There is no wear along the inside of the lip to suggest something had fit into it at one time.

So, now I am thinking that it was not made to be a baby cup, but maybe became a play thing for a baby at one point and that is how it got so banged up.

posted 07-16-2010 10:27 AM            

Thanks to you all! And, mow I need to find someone to do the needed restoration to get this back in shape.

posted 07-18-2010 10:15 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by June Martin:
Could it have been meant to hold a hard boiled egg? Does it look like the inside was ever vermeiled to guard against the sulfur of the egg?

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posted 08-30-2010 04:51 PM            

1. Since you say the opening on the top seems too small to drink from without dribbling (which argues against a baby cup in my mind since it would be a cruel thing to do to a baby to teach him or her that they would never learn to drink from a cup without making a mess of themselves) I was thinking that it might not be for liquids after all and perhaps is a part of a toilet set - something like a hair holder. One often saved the hair from one's brush in a holder. However, many of these that I have seen tend to have a lid with a hole in the center.

2. Or perhaps some other use in a toilet set? As the opening is somewhat small, perhaps is it is a rose vase? Fill it with water and take a rose bloom or other flower bloom with a very short stem and have it on your toilet table?

posted 08-30-2010 05:23 PM            

Fun to read some more ideas about my little mystery.

Polly -- I also had wondered about it having had a liner at one point, but think it would have been impossible to fit one inside --- unless the silver part was made around the liner, which also seems it would be impossible. The reason is that the top is narrower than the rest of the cup so it would not be possible to fit a rounded liner into that hole.

Kimo -- your have some interesting ideas. My thought had been that a child would be able to drink from it without dribbling, but not an adult. Now I wonder about that. Maybe I will have to take it to my sister's house where her toddler grandson is and see if he can manage a drink out of it better than I could. If I manage to do that I will post the results.

A little flower holder could be a good use for it whether that was what was originally intended or not. It just needs to be fixed so it balances better.