what is this used for?

[Rodgebone]

part of my mothers collection of silverplate. its silverplate on brass. no markings. measures 6-1/4" x 4-1/2". looks to be a candy dish, nut dish or underplate (maybe a gravy boat plate). circa 1940-1975 roughly. the copper is showing through in a few spots and it has some light tarnish. would like to know what it was used for and any info on the maker.

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[Rodgebone]

to be more specific, this came from Portland, Oregon, USA. mom married after WWII and our house burned down in 1963 so this could be anywhere from 40s to 80s. mom bought a lot of silver in the 60s and 70s. its probably a cheap item. the bottom is flat

[AG2012]

Can you show us the marks, if any?
Value is not discussed here.
Regards

[Traintime]

If it is heavy, it may be silver-on-copper (brass being lighter). Probably not an undertray which would likely be more oval and have a plain bottom for the boat to rest on. A card reciever could be a useage--very embellished edges for show but rather dangerous for a dining situation--all those sleeves and cuffs getting hooked. All conjecture of course..the marks may lead to a catalogue identification and final explanations. Please relay them.

[Rodgebone]

sorry for asking about its worth - didnt read the rules. i'm mostly interested in its use and who made it. there are no markings at all - the bottom is featureless, plain and flat and looks cheap as opposed to the top side. definitely looks like copper under the silver plate. weighs 160 grams which i think is heavy for its small size and the plating looks fairly thin as it didnt take much polishing effort to expose the copper. not sure what category of style this is as im no expert - Victorian, Edwardian, Baroque, cheap 70's ripoff? ive searched online in depth but nothing seems to match its intricate edge and flower design. a card receiver as suggested could be a very good use. i was thinking it was more for candies, mints, or nuts. thanks for all your responses so far - keep them coming!

[dragonflywink]

Hi ~ welcome to the forums. Without marks, would be very difficult to find the manufacturer and firm dating would also be difficult, could be anywhere from the late 19th century to several decades into the the 20th, might have had a label if mid-century production, but more likely just produced by a small jobber whose name held no importance in marketing. Small ornate dishes like this would usually be sold as a 'bon-bon dish', though some catalogs may have called it an 'almond dish' - if you do a Google search image search for "pierced bon-bon dish", similar items should show up, "reticulated bon-bon dish" would be another term (oddly, 'reticulated' seems to have become synonymous with 'pierced', but with the net or lattice like design on yours, it's actually correct).

~Cheryl

[Rodgebone]

thank you all very much for your replies and help. much appreciated!!!