Antique - Sheffield Stainless Steel - Mother of Pearl - Fruit/Dessert/Fish Set?

Hello all,

I am trying to figure out exactly what this cutlery set is and where I can go to get an honest appraisal. I have been searching all over to find more information on this set and I am just not coming up with much of anything.
I am 99% sure that this mark is the Barker Brothers, Birmingham, England around 1930.
Has anyone ever seen a set like this before? Where can I go to get as much information on it as possible? And can someone point me in the right direction for appraising antique silverware? (I hope that last question is allowed in this forum, if not please let me know. I am new to this forum).
Thank you so much in advance!

BARKER BROTHERS SHEFFIELD by power questions posted Sep 16, 2018 at 10:05 PM

SHEFFIELD STAINLESS by power questions posted Sep 16, 2018 at 10:05 PM

 

Nice set.....boxed is good too.
It's worth something .....but you'll not get rich .

Younger buyers don't go for this type of elegance anymore.......not that I know of..!

Others will come along and add to my comments !!

 

Great, thank you! Yes, I'm sure it's for a collectors taste... now to get it in to the right hands when I can find more information about it and its value.

Thanks again!

 

Welcome to Antiquers Power.

Pretty set.

Here are some completed prices for Mother of Pearl flatware.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...re&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

 

So sorry....that link will not work.....eBay's doing.

However if you do a completed search for mother of pearl flatware on eBay, you will see the sold prices.

You may not find Barker Bros. per se, but I don't think who the manufacturer is will matter too greatly.

 

My 2 cents: It is true that there is a limited market. However, your set is STAINLESS, as opposed to silver. Not that I do not adore silver, but it is well-known that eggs, for instance, and vinegar, are not kind to silver.

Therefore, you have a beautiful salad set which will complement your silver service - and not require huge efforts with the polishing cloth after dinner! It also means that one can use the salad/dessert fork which came with the service for the cherry pie alone - making a charming grouping to the left of the place setting.

Just sayin.'

 

LOL! I have an also. Three-tined forks are not very helpful when dealing with certain fishes which may tend to be slithery. However, they do very well with salads and fruits. Fruits, that is which are cut up. Dealing with an entire apple requires a sharper knife, with a pointy end.

 

That's a fruit set, rather than salad. The handles may be a good lookalike for MOP: mostly, these are a type of celluloid.

 

I was thinking fruit or dessert.

 

Ah, but it would only be dessert in the old sense of a cheese course. Pudding - which is strictly what a sweet tasting last course is - is eaten with spoon and fork. Never ever a spoon alone, but a fork alone is acceptable. And then, there's savouries. My Pa was partial to Welsh Rarebit as a final course.

 

LOL! I"m partial to Welsh Rarebit as breakfast!

 

John Betjeman is rather fine on the subject of food etiquette: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/john_betjeman/poems/785

 

Part of what makes Gosford Park a favorite film for me are the little details of etiquette, the measuring to make sure all plates are equidistant.

 

Ack!!! Doesn't everyone??