{old silver}
This is my favorite kind of antique find - it's like a treasure hunt because you really have no idea what you'll find under all that tarnish. And it is some serious tarnish. The polishing process is going to be slow going, because my hands can only stand so much and each piece takes 15 - 20 minutes. So far I've unearthed several pieces of this beautiful pattern, all large enough to be used as serving pieces.
{old silver, polished}
{silver crests}
It's hard to tell, with the scroll-y script, but I think those might be "B"s. But if I squint a bit I can call them "R"s.
There's much more to come. I'll share as I work my way through it.
Those are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your wonderful collection.
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous. My mom's favorite way to polish extra-tarnished silver like this is to put it all in a big pyrex baking sheet with a little piece of aluminum foil. She covers the aluminum foil with baking soda, and then fills the whole dish with water. It does the trick without nearly as much scrubbing on your part!
ReplyDeleteI thought they kind of looked like E's, but either way a great find.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I wish our local stores had great finds. I have yet to see anything worth taking home. BTW, I think they look like E's, too!
ReplyDeleteGreat score! I see lots of possibilities with these aside from just serving pieces!
ReplyDeleteI can get R's out of that if the top of the letter is at the top of the serving piece. Otherwise, it's E's. :)
ReplyDeletebeautiful pieces.
Oh how delightful!
ReplyDeleteI'd go with E.
ReplyDeleteE is for elephant.
such a fabulous find and so much more rewarding than buying stupidly expensive silverware at barneys.
ReplyDeletethose are beautiful! rachel, could you share the polishing process? i picked up an old tarnished teakettle the other day & i was wondering how to best clean it...
ReplyDeleteHa ha! Sorry guys - the way the picture is set up you are looking at the letters upside down. I didn't even realize that they looked like "E"s from that angle!
ReplyDelete@ ampersandity - I've just been using silver polish (Twinkle) and gently scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing with a soft cloth. Then I rinse with hot water and dry carefully before moving onto the next piece. Sometimes it takes a couple rounds of this to get it nice and shiny. I think I'll have to give AbbieBabble's method a try because all the scrubbing is tough on my hands.
what a brilliant find!
ReplyDeleteyou should have a thrift store field trip - since you have such a terrific eye for little treasures! i'd happily tag along with you!
there are always cool things going on at your house, rachel. what a beautiful find! i'm sure the scrubbing is tedious (you have more stamina than me), but by the looks of things already, so worth it.
ReplyDeletegorgeous Rachel! What a fabulous find
ReplyDeleteSo lovely! They look like 'E' to me too, but maybe because my last name starts with one? :)
ReplyDeletewhat a great find! kudos to you for going through and polishing them all diligently :)
ReplyDeletehttp://prettyshinysparkly.com
I kindof love polishing silver once I get going. These spoons are incredible!
ReplyDeleteLook the boiling water version of removing tarnish. It's amazing, and it takes seconds!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful!!!!! ;))
ReplyDeletei love finds like that...i found something similar awhile back...a.99 back of silver spoons and forks.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely try the aluminum foil with baking soda, it works! Or, yo can also mix water with white vinegar and the juice of a lemon. Heat it up then put your pieces in. It will take away the oxide. The hotter the water, the quicker it's going to work
ReplyDeleteso elegant!
ReplyDeleteI love this
ReplyDelete