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lindac_gw

Claret ladle???!!

lindac
11 years ago

Ever hear of one....let alone see one? is it for real?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLD-COLONIAL-BY-TOWLE-STERLING-SILVER-CLARET-LADLE-11-1-2-NO-MONOGRAM-/150679892148?pt=Antiques_Silver&hash=item231538b0b4

From what I know of that seller, they are reliable....but have I been living under a rock not to know of a claret ladle???

Linda C

Comments (30)

  • justlinda
    11 years ago

    I think you should get it, you deserve one. I mean what service is complete without one? A little pricey, but what the heck. lol

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    YES, claret ladles/spoons are real & fairly rare; they were used to stir the fruit in wine punch. $1200 dollars of rare, I doubt! This seller has so much reproduction & made up stuff, I'm always leary of anything they sell but by appearances, it seems to be authentic.

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    I went back to the description & I think this may be a chocolate muddler judging by the length & round bowl. It sticks in my mind that a claret spoon is about 15-16" long but I haven't looked it up. Come to think of it, I think I have an Old Colonial catalog at home & I'll check it tonight.

  • lindac
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I have been doing a search.....and there are a LOT on ebay...ranging in price from a little over $200 to around $1800....
    Makes one wonder....
    But now I know about claret ladles. I have a gravy ladle ( or 2 or 3 or....) and a sauce ladle and a punch ladle and a soup ladle and a mustard spoon which is shaped a little like a ladle....
    Hmmm....

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    The following link shows an Old Colonial catalog from 1905 & a chocolate muddler is pictured; I didn't see a claret spoon but I did this in a hurry. Also I don't know the length of the muddler but it's approximately the same as a long handled olive spoon. BTW, this is an excellent site for identifying weird silver pieces.

    A google search says there are long (up to 17") claret spoons as well as short ones (12-13") but all I've ever heard about are the extremely long & thin ones.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Silverware Fashions

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    The same seller has another 11-1/2" one on ebay as well as a 14" one for a mere $1695. Personally, I'd rather have the long one - after all, it's only money!

    Here is a link that might be useful: 14

  • justlinda
    11 years ago

    I need to know - what is a chocolate muddler and how would one use it? Sorry for my ignorance....I don't have one :(

    Pleeeeease?

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    11 years ago

    Well, know nothing about it, but love the idea/image I now have of slurping claret from a ladle-heehee.

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    Dunno Justlinda but obviously you NEED one!

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    A chocolate muddler was to stir the hot choc in the bottom of the pot before pouring into individual cups; coca was not as refined as today. Once in the cup, the individual had a small chocolate spoon (like a bouillon spoon but smaller) to do the same thing or to stir in additional ingredients.

  • justlinda
    11 years ago

    Oh no, now it looks like I'll need a muddler and a few small chocolate spoons as well.

    8^)

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    I don't think it would be a bad idea to get a claret ladle too, just in case!

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    And, or course you'll need a lovely antique china chocolate pot...& matching cups!

    You should also be aware that some patterns of silver offered the individual spoons in large/long as well as regular. I haven't found any evidence of it but if there were 2 sizes of spoons, it stands to reason there were 2 sizes of muddlers - & maybe Lindac's Old Colonial 'claret ladle' is one of the larger ones...'cause it sure doesn't look like a claret spoon to me. Normal sized muddlers are 8-9" with straight handles & round bowls similar to a long, over-sized bouillon spoon; sometimes they have a pointy tip on the bowl. Clarets are much longer with a curved handle to fit in a punch bowl & their bowls tend to be smallish, ovoid, & sometimes angled like other ladles.

  • lindac
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    **** sigh****
    So many things I "need"....
    I have an asparagus server and a mustard ladle ( British hallmarked if you please)....a couple of strawberry forks....
    But no claret ladle.....
    YET!!!

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    Don't feel bad Linda - I don't have a claret spoon/ladle either; they've always struck me as completely useless as well as overpriced. Matter of fact, I don't have a chocolate muddler either..... but I do have a few spoons.

    Above you mentioned the ladles that you own. Do you have a cream ladle or the slightly smaller 'old style' cream ladle, or a vinagerette ladle, or a mayo ladle, or an oyster ladle? Any of these are much more useful than a claret. Happy hunting!

  • lindac
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thankfully MY pattern, Old master, was originally made in 1942.....and they didn't make all those yummy things in that pattern. Unfortunately, my daughter's pattern is Towle Old Colonial.....and that does have all those things....but she doesn't NEED strange serving pieces like I do!!
    But I also have service for 9 in Whiting Louis XV....and I have a few odd pieces in that like a nut spoon, stilton scoop and a ham fork.

    And....how is a claret ladle different from a toddy ladle? Weren't they both pretty well used for the same purpose?

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    Wait--there's a TODDY ladle??? See now that seems useful! I've decided only to buy things I could possibly use. No seafood forks.

    Linda, it makes sense to me that you would acquire all those weird serving pieces in your daughter's pattern and then just save them for her...

    I have a pile of Old Master pieces, but nothing I would use. Unfortunately to me a tea set is about as practical as a claret ladle. I really need a china cabinet for those things. :)

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    Sorry, but I don't know what a toddy ladle is & a claret ladle probably wouldn't work because the bowl on that only holds about a teaspoon - not enough toddy to be worthwhile! Something sticks in my mind that the toddy ladles were English with a thin wooden handle.

    Wow - you're in luck with the Louis XV. If a piece was ever made, Louis XV probably made it in 2 sizes! I want to see a photo of the ham fork - never heard of one of those.

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    Fori, the link has a description of a toddy ladle but no picture. Actually, I think a punch ladle would serve the purpose........ so consider yourself enabled.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Toddy spoons & ladles

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    Oh my! "for use with a toddy BOWL"!!??? I need a toddy bowl!

    I need a bigger house.

  • lindac
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    toddy is a hot punch...a toddy ladle usually has a whale bone or wood handle....presumably to keep it from burning your fingers as you ladle the hot beverage.
    I was at an auction where a friend bought one, and she served hot mulled wine at winter parties, just to use the ladle....

    Here is a link that might be useful: Toddy ladle

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    11 years ago

    Well, now I AM disappointed. A claret ladle only holds about a teaspoon? I guess I will just have to continue to drink from the bottle as I learn more about silver serving pieces from all of you. Cheers. ;)

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    Yeah, Cyn, it's only use is stirring the fruit in the bottom of the pitcher of wine according to what I've read. Sounds like a formal version of sangria! Much easier to drink the wine & spear the fruit with a long fork when you get to the bottom. May I suggest a long handled olive fork or matching spoon or perhaps a combination thereof?

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    11 years ago

    Antiquesilver, funny...off to look through the silver chest...gotta have something that would work. ;)

  • lindac
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Guess what I just bought....
    I would say you all are a bad influence....but not sure if I need any influence for my addiction!

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    We want photos - no excuses! What pattern???

  • lindac
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wait until it comes!

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    11 years ago

    I can't wait! ;)

  • antiquesilver
    11 years ago

    Linda, have you been sampling the claret so much that you forgot to post a photo of the ladle?

  • lindac
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Actually it's been martinis....the piece is sitting at my desk....I was having camera problems, but that seems to be resolved.
    Tis a mystery for sure!!
    Linda C

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