R. Wallace Silverplate Tongs - not finding any comparable?

Discussion in 'Silver' started by gimbler-dave, May 13, 2018.

  1. gimbler-dave

    gimbler-dave Well-Known Member

    These came my way several years ago and had been set aside as "just silverplate". They were completely black with tarnish which I have been slowly cleaning up. Once the Wallace maker mark was uncovered, I thought it would be easy to find a comparable and get some idea of their value, but that has not been the case.

    As best I can tell, these are in the Floral multi-motif (different flowers on different pieces) pattern which was introduced in 1902. I find plenty of tongs with a claw style bowl, but none like this.

    These are moderately large, 7 inches in length, and weigh 78 grams. I really like the art nouveau look that the pattern has.

    The tongs I do find in this pattern go for $20 to $30. With the size of these, as well as failing to find any comparable at all, I'm thinking I shouldn't let these go for anywhere near that low of a price.

    I'm putting these out here to see what the group thinks, and double check my pattern identification. Any ideas why a Wallace piece would be such a mystery? Thanks! Dave
    db_wallace_1.JPG
    db_wallace_2.JPG
    db_wallace_3.JPG
    db_wallace_4.JPG
     
    Any Jewelry likes this.
  2. Huntingtreasure

    Huntingtreasure Well-Known Member

    gimbler-dave likes this.
  3. gimbler-dave

    gimbler-dave Well-Known Member

    Great find Huntingtreasure! At least I have the correct original name (ice tongs) to go with the piece and know the pattern is correct. Yes, I think 608 is a match.
     
  4. Huntingtreasure

    Huntingtreasure Well-Known Member

    Don’t use their price $2.75! ;)
    Don’t worry too much what you call them when looking. Many people who list things don’t know the correct name, so your maybe best to just call them Tongs anyway.
     
    gimbler-dave likes this.
  5. gimbler-dave

    gimbler-dave Well-Known Member

    I'm going to polish them a bit more before listing them. They look good to the naked eye now, but the pictures magnify the faults. Some tarnish in the detail areas is actually good to bring out the features, but still some larger patches on smooth areas that would be better gone.

    Yes, that old price is just not going to work! I'm surprised to not find any other examples of sales of this piece anywhere.

    For eBay titles, extra words like "ice" won't hurt and just increase the chance of someone finding them. But I think they could be used for other items as well, and I will note that in the description. Chances are buyer isn't going to actually use, especially given the apparent rarity.
     
  6. Huntingtreasure

    Huntingtreasure Well-Known Member

    I was just looking for them too. Many people advertise them incorrectly by the patent date. The more description you use in your ad the better. You could include designers name too.
    http://www.sterlingflatwarefashions.com/SPPatterns/Wallace2.html
     
    gimbler-dave likes this.
  7. gimbler-dave

    gimbler-dave Well-Known Member

    The "1835" threw me too at first, but I finally got the story. I'll include that and anything else I have room for - I don't like to have more than a few characters unused in an eBay title. Almost always there is something that will fit in 4 or 5 characters. Thanks for that last link - it has a fantastic picture of the variations of the pattern, the best I have seen.
     
  8. Huntingtreasure

    Huntingtreasure Well-Known Member

    Good Luck! Very nice piece!
     
    gimbler-dave likes this.
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