I Got a Box of Coin Silver and High End French Plate From My Partner Pt 2 - The Baguette Form

[@l.j.hgroenewoud559]

Hi GMG, nice find and an enjoyable watch. Indeed this "Baguette" pattern came into being around the mid-19th century. I have a Christofle catalog from 1862 which shows it already. In fact, pretty much every French silversmith had this pattern (same as the "Filet" - or Chinon - pattern). The reasons I think are not that hard to deduce. It is undecorated, so a mould is easier to make. It requires less polishing, given that it doesnt have any crevices, so it polishes easier. This would have made it populair for large orders by restaurants and cafe's, as you mentioned. It definately pre-dates the modern art movements and in a way is the antithesis to those: mass-produced and undecorated. All catalog's by all makers classify this pattern as "Uni" or "smooth/undecorated/general", the cheapest patterns as the cost of production would also have been less than exquisite Rococo patterns. This also explains how widespread it is. The pattern was also popular in Belgium and the Netherlands, and I often find it there. In fact it's pretty hard to dodge over here. I've found a ton of them with inscriptions of restaurants and hotels (confirming also your point about the cafe's). One point of interest is the disparity in quality. Baguette pieces are seriously both among the most elegant pieces there are, if done right, and among the most shoddy pieces of work out there. Sadly though, they are also among the most heavily used pieces and I often encounter them overpolished and with silver loss. Great find. I could share some catalog data if you'd like.

[@gmgssilverplate]

I love the way you pointed out what now is obvious now that you mention it, that a mass-producible and simple (but I still believe kind of elegant) pattern would be the antithesis of the art movements. I wonder how a critic contemporary to late 19th century Paris would have received these pieces... From what we have discussed, not well, I would imagine.

[@l.j.hgroenewoud559]

​@@gmgssilverplatethat's an interesting question. From a designer point of view, he would definately find it old-fashioned and in need of some "modernity". However, I hope it would have been obvious even to a critic that the French art nouveau style was way more expensive to create and the style wouldn't have been loved by all. The Nouveau movement remained a bourgeosie thing at the end of the day. It would not have been feasible to equip the whole of Paris with nouveau cutlery, it was simply too expensive. I hope the ceitics would have understood the neccessity for a common pattern and would have been able to appreciate Baguette's elegant simplicity in that light

[@gmgssilverplate]

Yep, well said, there's a reason why it fits so well in today's homes, and survives and is still popular to this day, it definitely looks like a design that would have been developed and loved in the 1960s and did well in suburban homes. The wealthier French certainly could be snobbish, but back then they didn't have social media as an outlet. They probably kept their opinions like that to themselves, or more likely had more important things to think about.

[@gmgssilverplate]

One more thing, would absolutely love to see your ephemera. If it makes it easier, you could always post it on my reddit forum r/silverplate.

[@marinoceccotti9155]

French here. Indeed, this type of patter is called "baguette". As for this kind of silver plated kitchenware, I've see A LOT of them. In their current state (incomplete sets, signs of wear), nobody will ever use these anymore. Just try to use some during diner. Forks are way too pointy, and spoon way too big for nowadays' habit. So, boil the lot in nitric, recover the silver, recycle the brass.

[@gmgssilverplate]

Thanks for your response. I appreciate input even if it's not necessarily what I want to hear. I did separate out the pieces that had more wear than the others, but I think I'll keep them around a bit. I have pleeeennnty of silverplate that I end up destroying, but these are legit antiques and on average they aren't in terrible shape. My entire focus is to try to preserve antique silver plate, and one other thing, there might be a ton of baguette flatware in France, but if I can sell it on Etsy or ebay, maybe someone on the other side of the globe is looking specifically for X company's silverware, if that makes sense. I've had one instance where I sold a piece for a rather large profit because the buyer claimed he was the great grandchild of the original silversmith.

[@mirac5745]

From my phone grand mama i have them orinal them she's try to buy how much to buy silver pieces

[@gmgssilverplate]

Hi thank you so much for watching and tell your grandma I said hi! These items are for sale on my Etsy, ebay or sometimes in my posh store.

[@gmgssilverplate]

If I misunderstood you and you are asking about how much to sell your silver to your grandma, I don't know unless I saw them or saw pictures, most sterling silver only goes for the silver price (melt, value, you have to weigh your silver to know), if you talking plated items, it depends on condition and what it is, and I can't even know where to start trying to appraise it without seeing it.