A tuffy to identify

No maker's mark at all. Silverplate on steel. By the materials, style and where found I'm leaning towards late 1800s.

Smooth sides. Somewhat oval profile. Same pattern on back.

 

They look like nut picks to me (which I realize will be open to intentional misinterpretation).

 

Yes...yes it will !!!

But, I believe they work best on walnuts !

Although I've yet to try sticking one in a lithiunm mods eye !!!

 

I was hoping for a pattern and/or maker

 

I'd just call the pattern rococo revival and it's those men in a shed again. I agree late 19th C. It was the worlds champion era for fiddly bits of cutlery for obscure purposes.

 

Was that an American shed or German?

 

Could be British but I'm inclined to think American. I think the Germans at that time simply chewed up the walnuts, shells and all.

 

Could they be a set of crab picks?

 

Nut picks; these could be 1960s as well. I have similar ones here that were wedding gifts for my parents.

 

Nut picks.
My folks had a similar set in the bowl of walnuts on the living room tea caddy...in the 60's.

 

Terry, how long are these? Because they look longer than the ones I remember from my childhood.
Probably doesn't really matter, but inquiring minds and all that.

 

They're your typical five inch or so

One has some plate spots missing and the steel underneath is definitely the 19th century stuff

I never understood the use of these

Like who doesn't have a pocketknife?

 

LOL @ the pocketknife!!
That does seem to be the right length for a nut pick. I would think seafood or crab would be longer, but then I am a barbarian when it comes to the right piece to use for the right food.

 

All of that nut-picker-nut-picking is the reason why my favorite nut has always been a filbert a/k/a hazelnut. Oh my goodness -- even a child can crack a filbert with one quick little squeeze with a nutcracker and the whole filbert is yours for the taking and eating and wanting more! Yum-yum. Of course when we were really young we wanted "acorns" in our Christmas stockings because we thought filberts were "funny" acorns.

 

Believe the 'late 19th century' dating is probably right, a lot of the specialty items like nut picks, etc. weren't part of a regular line, so it might not show up in pattern guides.

~Cheryl

 

Messi has a pocket knife. (In fact, I believe she has at least ten of them.) I do not have one. In fact the only person I know who does is my brother. But nut picks? Oh, yes.

 

???

 

I'm a nut but I'll leave the nut picks to people who shell nuts.