barney
12 pointer
- Oct 11, 2005
- 18,711
That's the only one I have. The 3 prong forks with the pewter inlays in bone or wood handles are civil war era. They aren't real expensive, and good ones can still be found on eBay. I plan on buying some more when the right set comes along. Russell Green River Works made a bunch of them along with matching table knives.Barney , please tell me about that three pronged fork laying on the paper plate in your last sardine picture.
My family drawer growing up had some of them. I remember being told they were heirlooms from way back there somewhere. Ive seen picture of many of them on eBay and they are described as civil war era forks.
Some of them had bone handles and some other ones had a little fancier lead or pewter -like inlays in the bone handles. Others had polished wood handles. Dad said some of the forks he had reworked from the ruins of family home that had burned. My dad made a foot long wooden handle for one of them for turning fried chicken etc in a big iron skillet or frying pan. I have about all those forks and traded a brother out of some he had too. I think my parents found some additional ones in an antique store way back there. I think of my mother and Dad every time I look at one of them. I use them daily for link sausage turning and other hot skillet fried food turning.
I have never researched them, but I know the are really old and maybe the civil war era label is accurate.. One has a tine that has just been worn down a half inch.
You got any idea where the ones you have may have come from --where did you get yours? Any body see seen these in old family stuff.