When I hit some antique and second-hand stores with my mom a few weeks ago, I found a lovely set of vintage flatware. It was petite in scale and had green handles and forks with three tines. If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, then you might know that flatware is a weakness for me. I held the set, wrapped in a rubberband, in my hand for a few seconds as I contemplated. I remember looking at my mom with an expression that said who am I kidding? I took them up to the front of the store and put them on the counter.
I have a similar twelve-piece set that has blue handles and gold-colored blades & tines and it’s one of my favorites. These have a very similar feel even though the colors are different.
The first thing I do when I unpack things from a second-hand shopping trip is give them a good cleaning and/or polishing. I started cleaning the knife blades with Barkeeper’s Friend because I assumed they were stainless steel, but after a couple of wipes with the sponge, I knew they were silverplate. I got out the silver polish and that shined them right up. I looked up the EPNS stamp and it means Electro Plated Nickel Silver, confirming they were silverplate.
The forks are not silverplate and are obviously not a perfect match to the knives, but I don’t mind. I love that they have long, spindly tines that are imperfect in the most charming way. I’m not sure what the handles are made of and I didn’t find many green-handled vintage flatware sets in my initial searches to compare them to. My best guess would be Bakelite, but they may be something else.
Have you seen anything similar?
The knives look like butter knives, but I’m not sure about the forks. Again, I’m just guessing, but I have a feeling the forks are older (maybe 1920s-30s) and the knives are mid-century.
Whatever their story, I love them and that they ended up in my kitchen. I had a good time cleaning them up and photographing them in the light of our new window.
The fork tines still need to be cleaned up a bit, but I just bought some SOS scour pads and I’ll work some more on getting the rust spots cleaned off.
I found a few other fun things on that particular shopping trip that I’ll photograph and share soon.
31 Responses
You scored again! I would hesitate to use a SOS pad on the forks, consider maybe PINK STUFF instead? It works great for me when I need to get rust off a vintage or antique item!
I really like these. And, not surprising that they ended up in your kitchen. I haven’t seen your blue ones, but would love to.
The knives are dinner knives, too large for butter knives, and much earlier than mcm by which point knife blades would have been stainless steel. Great find!
They might look large in the pictures, but they are definitely smaller than dinner knives. I would have to do a bit more research on the age, but they don’t feel as old as the forks.
Oh what memories this bring back! I, too love to find old flatware and collect when i can! They can be pricey here, esp in groups. Being tgat i love green, these are wonderful! The forks remind me when I was in Philadelphia edit historical Tavern and they had those three tongue forks. They were really pointed, but worked well with me. forks remind me when I was in Philadelphia at a historical Tavern and they had those three tong forks. They were really pointed, but worked well with meat.
“On the light of our new window”…I can only imagine the pleasure that gives you! Good light makes things easier. 🙂 So worth the wait.
My first thought was, “These photos would make a beautiful still life painting…” Maybe???
I’ve seen several similar pieces in thrift store. My question is is a person safe eating off a rusted fork after it’s cleaned but is missing it’s plating?
Fyi. The links on instagram for rugs and hardware are not working.
I love your blog! Do you have any tips and tricks on how you approach the shop owner in an antiques store in terms of bartering for something you really, really want and will pay full price for anyway? I would like to get better at this.
I can’t speak for Marian but many times I will ask the seller kindly (unless the tag says “firm”) “Is this your best price” and they will often take 10% or more off. Sometimes, if I am at antique fair and I pick up something, the vendor will speak up first and say if you are interested, I can do better.
I love the silverware finds. I have some similar ones with opal like handles. Your’s do seem older with the fork prongs being longer and skinny.
They remind me of French dessert forks. I bought a set of 4 while on a trip to France and they look like them as far as size and shape. Mine have ivory handles. Enjoy your find.
I have never seen green handled flatware before. The forks look like strawberry forks. I have an antique silver strawberry fork; it is petite sized with three long tines like yours. All together with the knives, it looks like a fruit dessert set.
Marian, I grew up in Maryland and we used forks like yours to “pick” crab and lobster meat from the shell! The long, skinny tines allow you to get in the crevices! Get yourself some Maryland blue crabs and give it a try! (But first you’ll need to find some vintage crab-crackin’ hammers).
Welllll…me thinks you have a ‘soft spot’ for a lot of things.. Great purchase on the green handled knives and forks.
What a great find! Love the green💚
I love that vintage green colour! If you want to know whether they are bakelite, rub the handle to heat a spot with friction, or run them under hot water until they heat up. It will release a formaldehyde-like smell.
I also think the handles are Bakelite. The fork tines remind me of very old meat serving forks. An interesting and fun find!
I would date the forks to 3rd quarter of the 19th century and the knives to the 4th quarter. The impressed detail is 19th century. The handles could be bone dyed green.
I can see why you nabbed them!
I am also a Betsy with the same question about the safety of eating off of silverplate items that are losing their silver. The metals underneath can be an issue, right?
Possibly the forks are cocktail/seafood forks? Not sure about the length of the tines but yours look similar – and pretty too! (and in my Mother’s silver box (from 1950) are some that are similar, she said were and used for the olive/pickle trays that came out on holidays!)
I live in Hagerstown and shop many of the same antique and thrift shops you do. Every time you post a find, I think to myself, “I wish I had seen that!” You have a gift for finding so many lovely treasures and seeing the beauty in things that many (like me!) would walk right by. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful find! They will be lovely in your gorgeous kitchen. I would enjoy displaying them with no intention of actually using. The photo staged in front of your new window is so inviting and would be a great painting! The flowering branches are delightful. Unfortunately, I think the bush is an “invasive” species of honeysuckle. It is a real problem and difficult to eradicate. My hubby (a weed scientist) killed ours 🙁
I wouldn’t be surprised! It seems like everything in our yard is aggressive or invasive. 😂 They are in a nice hedge, though, and are just overgrown. We’re going to trim them way back and keep them. At least they are pretty!
I would call those berry forks and butter knives, which feels like the start of a lovely set for tea.
Any chance the fork handles are ivory?
These would be perfect for a charcuterie board! The knives for spreads, and the forks for spearing olives and grapes, etc. What a lovely find!
Cute silverware. You wouldn’t want to miss your pie hole with those long tined forks or you could end up with a “surprise “ piercing! I love the green on them!❤️
Marian you can also use aluminum foil scrunched up to remove rust from metal.
I have used silver polish and rubbed it on plastic to test for Bakelite. If you use a white cloth or paper towel, if it turns yellow, it’s Bakelite. Also if you have 409 and a qtip, you can dampen the qtip with 409, rub a small spot and if it turns yellow, it’s Bakelite. Very easy to do either way. I saw a woman who had an extensive collection of Bakelite jewelry and she always polished it with cream silver polish and I have too. I use Maas metal polish in a tube. I have only used the cream and it always works. I tried the hot water rub and smell test and I couldn’t smell it but a friend could but not on every piece. The polish works every time.