Flatware Items

[RAB3Group]

I am putting together a set of Georgian Towle sterling flatware and am in need of a guide. I've looked all over and cant seem to find an answer to this question. If I put together a set for a service of 6, what is needed? How many teaspoons? Forks? What is needed for a really nice set? egg spoons? ice cream spoons? and how many of those for the set? I found the old Georgian catalog on here, but it doesnt contain everything, amazingly missing a dinner fork. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JayT]

Interesting question. Here is my input: because your maker is Towle, I assume you want a flatware service for use in the U.S. A basic flatware service in the U.S. consists of 4 pieces (dinner knife and fork, a salad/dessert fork, a teaspoon). Many people expand this basic service by adding an extra teaspoon and a salad/dessert fork to use for dessert, an individual butter spreader and an individual tablespoon for soup, for a total of 8 pieces per place setting. After that it depends on your entertaining style and what your family likes to eat. If collecting the Georgian pattern is the most important to you, then over time you’d probably want to add all the place pieces made, not to mention serving pieces as well. If the pattern is not the most important aspect, then I think it is perfectly fine to mix in pieces in other patterns. Good luck with your project!

[JLDoggett]

Available in the Georgan pattern, possible per place setting:

Spoons: coffee, P.M. tea, regular tea, desert, place, bullion, chocolate, soup, orange, individual salt, egg, chow chow, iced tea.

Forks: Table, desert, salad, ramekin, lobster, oyster, iced cream, fish, pickle, lemon, berry, steak, nut pick.

Knives: marrow scoop, fish knife, duck knife, tea knife, cake knife, butter, fruit knife, butter spreader, lg. butter spreader, butter knife/pick, cheese knife, orange knife, orange knife (H.H.) butter spreader (H.H.) desert knife, luncheon knife, table knife, tea knife, stake knife.

Individual asparagus tongs, stake steel.

These pieces were mafde for serving:

Table spoon., jelly spoon, preserve spoon, berry spoon, sugar spoon, pudding spoon, mustard spoon, salt spoon, horseradish, ideal olive. pierced olive spoon, sm. olive spoon, piccalli, chocolate muddler, sm. salad spoon, lg. salad spoon, iced cream, confection, ice, poached egg server, platter spoon, vegetable spoon, bonbon spoon, sugar sifter, nut spoon, lemon server, tomato server, serving spoon, cheese server, oyster server, macaroni server, cracker scoop, almond scoop, waffel server, dressing spoon, pea server, sm. cheese scoop, lg. cheese scoop, lettuce spoon.

Sm. olive fork, butter pick, beef fork, sm. cold meat fork, lg. cold meat, olive fork, sm. salad fork, lg salad fork, sardine server, trout fork, bread fork, fish fork, asparagus fork, asparagus fork, lettuce fork, game fork, roast holder

trout knife, jelly knife, fish knife, pie knife, crumb knife, iced cream slicer, pie slicer, iced cream server, game carver, meat carver, bread knife.

sugar tongs, asparagus tongs, sardine tongs, ice tongs, tete-a-tete tongs.

cream ladle, soup ladle, boullion ladle, punch ladle, gravey ladle.

grape shears, cheese scoop (H.H.), carving steel

Also available:
child's knife, fork spoon, pap spoon and food pusher.

Then there is all the hollowware...

That makes 44 pieces possible per place-setting (I do not include duplicate possible pieces like solid handle butter spreaders and hollow handle ones), though typically there would be multiple standard teaspoons for each, also there were 4 different sizes teaspoons available while I only listed one above. Other multiple items would be gravey ladles and table spoons. Some pieces (not listed above) were only available in "pre-set" services or as special ordered. There were seperate breakfast, luncheon, tea and dinner services, with very little cross-over of pieces. Towle employed its own boxers, joiners who worked full time fitting silver chests to hold clients particular services.

If I get it finished I have their flatware pieces from an old catalogue scanned, just need to clean the images before asking if the Admins wish to add it to the site.

[RAB3Group]

Thanks Jay and JLDoggett, that seems like a lot of pieces in that pattern. As far as putting my set together, I'm more looking at just using them on a daily basis after I get it put together, not really for just the special occasions. I guess my goal would be like any other then, pick up whatever I use in my daily life, then if I find pieces that I like to add to it, pick them up. Thanks again.

[JLDoggett]

My service was assembled back in the early 1900's and is now used daily. Most of the pieces remain in the bank as I have little call for a service for 48, and who actually know how to use asparagus tongs these days. I keep a simple dinner service for 10 (8 pieces per, dinner knife, butter knife, salad fork, dinner fork, dessert fork, teaspoon (X2), cream soup spoon, place spoon) and a small array of serving pieces (game carver and matching fork, better size for carving; 6 place spoons, for serving most things; 2 gravey ladles and one punch ladle; and a few large serving forks) at home and one tea service. That certainly saves on the polishing... and back-ache, and dishpan hands.