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Mysterious Strangers

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By PENNY CARNATHAN

pcarnathan@tampatrib.com

Published: December 14, 2008

A guest sitting down to a formal dinner in 1890 could face 24 pieces of sterling silverware with which to plow through - er, gently consume - nine courses of food.

After the fried smelts and mutton cutlets, he might get a slice of garnished tongue, followed by mince pies and bonbons. In addition to all those forks, spoons and knives at his place, almost every menu item also would be served with a silver piece designed specifically for that food.

Tastes change, which may be one reason mysteries lurk in the silver collections handed down through families. Would you really know a garnished tongue fork if you saw one?

South Tampa residents and friends Anne Garrison and Betsy Best have learned a lot about silver over the years and, between the two of them, can identify the uses of many pieces. A few, however, have them stumped, and this past week we asked readers whether they could help.

Mystery Ware No. 1 is edged with tines and flat, like a spatula - or like a sliced-tomato server, as 15 readers identified it.

Eleven readers said, with great confidence, that it's used to dish up jellied cranberry sauce.

"Having just spent Thanksgiving at my Mom's and placing all the fancy-ware out on the table, I know that," Denise Werner of Riverview wrote. "She said, 'Don't forget the cranberry sauce server,' which led to which piece of silver that was and where it came from."

A few readers said it's known by both names.

Researching online, Best found examples of all the uses readers suggested, which also included cucumber, macaroni, croquette and asparagus servers. She thinks the mystery spork looks most like a croquette server.

"It is similar to a tomato server, however ... the series of broad tips suggests that it could possibly have another use," she says.

She doesn't think it's a jellied cranberry server because those are usually leaf-shaped with one slightly sharpened edge.

Mystery Ware No. 2, which is also flat, got far more varied responses, perhaps because the photo makes it appear to have more of a bowl. The leader was Stilton cheese scoop with four votes. The piece does look like the Victorian-era scoop pictured at www.stiltoncheese.com, however, Best says the mystery piece does not have sides that curve upward, as does the cheese scoop.

In second place was bonbon or nut spoon with three votes, but both those spoons tend to have much wider, rounder bowls. Readers also suggested cranberry sauce, parfait, relish or bivalve shellfish spoon (two votes each); and unpitted olives, horseradish, cake or melon spoon (one each).

Antiques columnist Jay Moore promised to do research of his own. If he comes up with any definitive, authoritative answers, we'll let you know.

Meanwhile, readers also suggested their favorite guides for others who may have mystery-ware: Cynthia Seegraves likes "American Silver Flatware, 1837-1910" by Noel Turner (Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 1997). That may be a winner: Seegraves' was the lone vote for piece No. 1 as croquette server.

Jeanne Netherton likes "Sterling Silver Flatware for Dining Elegance" by Richard Osterberg (Schiffer Publishing, 1994) and Mindy DeVane recommends "Tiffany Silver Flatware, 1845-1905" by William Hood (Antique Collectors Club, 1999).

Both Matt Hartigan and Ricki Adoff said a good starting place for identifying pieces is www.replacements.com, a shopping site for ordering new and old dinnerware, from china to silverware.

Keyword: Silverware, to get a look at lettuce forks, macaroni spoons and other serving pieces.

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