posted 12-27-2018 05:26 PM            

This is a great time of year to have dinner parties and use some silver that has been setting in a box far too long. The flatware, except for the knives is all American made in the Kings pattern. We have various makers of this silver, including R and W Wilson, Ball Black and Co., William Gale Son and Co. Frederick Marquand and Moses Eastman. I think fiddle thread may have been the most popular pattern in the first half of the 19th century, but the Kings pattern was also one the most popular. Of course at that time there really were not many patterns to choose from.

The dinner knives are English and are by Paul Storr. It is a fiddle thread shell pattern.

The Staffordshire figures are the lion and lamb that somehow seem appropriate this time of year.

I should have added that the silver goblets are by Kirk, but they are sterling and not the 10.25 or 11 oz type. I think they date from 1910 or so.

posted 12-27-2018 05:27 PM            

One last picture of one of my favorite ornaments. It is glass with a shiny golden reflective interior and was made in Russia. We brought this in either the late 1970s or early 1980s when our Government was encouraging trade with Russia. I still remember the large display in one of the large department stores in St. Louis of Russian items. Of course that was when everyone when to see the decorated holiday windows of department stores.

posted 12-27-2018 05:40 PM            

I suspect the holidays brought you a new camera or phone camera.

How many more year combo's can you do...are you in need of any numbers? We don't have any but perhaps one of our smiths.

posted 12-27-2018 08:38 PM            

Scott I did not get a new camera, but I used a tripod with my old camera. We put in the flicking candle LED lights in our chandelier this year and now we have a lot less light in the dining room. I used a tripod to make up for the lack of light. Maybe I should have used a tripod earlier as the pictures do seem to be a lot sharper.

We have switched mostly to these type candles as we had a small fire a couple of years ago with regular candles that were left unattended. Nothing serious happened but I became a leery of using real candles in unattended rooms. These LED candles screw in just like a regular light bulb and flicker like a candle. The other candles we have like this are battery operated.

We did buy enough numbers to keep the New Year sign going for some time. The numbers were easy to find in the year 2000 and I assume someone still makes them. I think they came from Germany.