Picking Fun With Flatware Know Your History!

One of the most fascinating things that I find about my career as a "picker" is the history that I pick up when I have to research different pieces that I find in the field. I am a history buff anyway and always was keen to soak up quirky facts and figures about different things, so this is right up my alley! I have learned many fun facts about flatware or silverware as most of us call it.

Who does not remember going to Grandma's house when they were young for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and having the good silver brought out as well as the china? My grandmother had a wonderful set of Rogers Adoration 1847 International plated silverware that she got in the 1940's that was kept in a chest in the dining room except for special occasions.

For years, we thought as many people do that the silverware was "sterling" due to the fact that it was made by Rogers. Many people make this mistake today. However research will tell you that most of the flatware that was produced after the turn of the century was silver plated. If a piece does not state sterling or  is not marked .925 on the piece, chances are it is not sterling. The only exception to this rule is pieces that were produced in Great Britain that contain British sterling hallmarks.  To find out more about these, google sterling or sterling silver hallmarks. You can find which marks have been used and can identify pieces through these pages easily. Don't discount flatware pieces due to the fact that they are not sterling. They still have value! It definitely does not detract from the beauty or durability of these pieces and many are still being used in dining rooms and kitchens today.

Rogers is one of the most popular flatware companies that is coveted by collectors today. They made hundreds of different patterns over the years.  One thing that is common with all the pieces is that they are all heavy duty and they are all of great quality. I believe those are two great reasons that they have withstood the test of time and are still desired so highly today.

In order to be able to "pick" flatware, you have to know a bit about the history of the Rogers company or companies as it may be. William Rogers started as a silversmith in the mid 1800's. He produced awesome sterling pieces that are still around today. Later he was joined by some relatives and the name of the company has changed over the years. To muddy the waters even more, two other companies have actually bought very similar names Wm Rogers and Sons (purchased by International Silver in the late 1800's) and Wm A Rogers which was purchased by Oneida who produced silver plated flatware in the same time period that Wm Rogers flatware was being produced.

1847 Rogers IS flatware is made by the original Wm Rogers company.  Flatware made by Wm Rogers and Sons or Wm A Rogers are made by other companies as stated above. It is good to know which company makes the pieces that you collect or sell.  As stated above, you have to know your history.

The next fun step in picking flatware is to know how to find what pattern your flatware is. Some patterns sell well while others are more obscure and may sit for awhile and be harder to market. Finding patterns can be a chore as stated above Rogers made hundreds of patterns alone. This does not even account for patterns made by Oneida, International Silver, or any other company out there.

Stay tuned for my next post. I will tell you more about how to identify individual patterns in flatware. Want to see the vintage flatware I have for sale right now?  Check out my store!