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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 American Silver before sterling
 interesting fork
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| Author | Topic: interesting fork |
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miphi4tbg Posts: 28 |
posted 09-02-2005 07:24 PM
  
[26-0640] I just got this fork in a mixed bag on eBay (the major draw of which was a sweet little spoon - unmarked except for a date: June 25, 1794). Now that I have the fork, though, I'm curious about its provenance, shape, and use. As you'll see, the only marks are R.HILLS & BRO. and PURE COIN. Rainwater doesn't mention R. Hills or his brother - retailers? And what are the little indentations at the "bowl" end of the tines? Any thoughts? Thanks in advance! IP: Logged |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 09-02-2005 08:15 PM
I have no idea what those notches might be for, but Richard Hills was a jeweler and watchmaker at 91 Washington Street, Boston from c 1860 (city directory) to 1880 (US census). No indication of a brother, so maybe, maybe not. IP: Logged |
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miphi4tbg Posts: 28 |
posted 09-03-2005 02:58 PM
Thanks, wev--maybe I can do some research and learn about a Hills brother. And maybe someone else will help out with the indentations! IP: Logged |
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FWG Posts: 845 |
posted 09-03-2005 07:21 PM
I believe what you have there is a fruit fork, although I've also seen them described as fish forks, salad forks, and dessert forks. McClinton, Collecting American 19th Century Silver, illustrates one on p.61, for example. By the later Victorian era there were several variants of different sizes, but the common theme is that the fork is intended to be used for cutting -- the clipped tine should also have a finer, sharper edge than the other side of the fork. Interestingly, the vast majority of the ones I've seen have been from Boston, which fits with WEV's note on Hills. [This message has been edited by FWG (edited 09-03-2005).] IP: Logged |
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miphi4tbg Posts: 28 |
posted 09-04-2005 09:29 AM
The wider tine is indeed finer and sharper, although apparently a lefty used the fork at some point: the opposite tine is bent in somewhat as if used for cutting...Thanks, FWG, for your interesting contribution. IP: Logged |
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hello Posts: 200 |
posted 09-04-2005 04:22 PM
very similar to a pattern by farrington and hunnewell? not exact. or is a common pattern for the period? IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 09-04-2005 07:51 PM
This type of fork has also been called a pie fork, with the blade being used to cut the crust. The imagination of manufacturers in naming patterns and pieces to make them appear unique was boundless. I would guess the indentations in the side are purely decorative. The handle pattern (Olive and its variants) is common; the added engraved decoration is not - it makes an otherwise prosaic piece unusual. Nice find. IP: Logged |
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Dale Posts: 2132 |
posted 09-05-2005 01:17 AM
I have heard, and seen, such notches used to separate fruit from stems. Like in pull a cherry stem through the notch and watch the cherry fall off. Or grape. The pattern looks like a variation of Olive, which has endless permutations. The monogram on the reverse may be a clue of some kind. Frequently popular tradition assigns this to Europeans. IP: Logged |
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Ulysses Dietz Moderator Posts: 1265 |
posted 09-05-2005 11:34 AM
The monogram on the "back" is something that Europeans STILL do, but it was done frequently in the US until some time in the late 19th century. Placing the fork tines-down on the table might have been derived from ethnic background (Continental vs. English. IP: Logged |
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miphi4tbg Posts: 28 |
posted 09-05-2005 09:32 PM
Thanks to you all - I love this forum! Dale, that's what the notches made me think of, too - I feel as if they must have some utilitarian function! And swarter, now that I've had a chance to look at the fork (even though it's not what I was expecting!), I'm enjoying the creativity of the engraving. It's a serendipitous find! [This message has been edited by miphi4tbg (edited 09-05-2005).] IP: Logged |
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Ulysses Dietz Moderator Posts: 1265 |
posted 09-08-2005 05:43 PM
In fact, to carry on an idea above, I have an 1848 fork by George Doty, and the owner's name is on the "back" of the handle (i.e. it would have been placed face down). This was in St. Louis, MO. I also have a set of olive-pattern large spoons, with the monogram on the back of the handle, indicating they were placed bowl down on the table as late as the mid-1850s. That was in Rochester, NY. IP: Logged |
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Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 |
posted 09-09-2005 01:53 PM
I think the notches are purely decorative. If you want notches, you should see some of Durgin's pie forks from this period. I agree with the Boston/Boston-area suggestion. The "PURE COIN" mark is mostly seen on silver from that region. IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 05-18-2008 12:19 AM
This is an old post. Henry S Hills was Richard Hills brother. Henry who was born about 1840 was roughly fourteen years Richard's junior. Richard and Henry were together with their parents in Boston in 1850, and Richard was a jeweler at that time. In 1860 in Brookline, Henry was with his brother Richard and his family. Both Richard and Henry were jewelers. It does not seem unlikely that Henry was a civil war casualty as he does not appear to have lived into the next decade. [This message has been edited by bascall (edited 05-18-2008).] IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 09-09-2009 12:57 AM
Richard and Henry S Hills are listed in the 1861 Boston Directory, Boston Adams, Sampson & Co 1861 as R Hills & Bro, watchmakers at 206 Washington. IP: Logged |
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