Silver, reclaimed

Our everyday flatware is very simple and I love it. But I have a serious soft spot for ornate silverplate and when I saw this box full of mixed pieces for $8, I couldn't resist.

{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.