Featured Sterling Olive Pick

Discussion in 'Silver' started by daveydempsey, Mar 21, 2025.

  1. daveydempsey

    daveydempsey Moderator Moderator

    I found this yesterday in a cocktail cabinet from the latest clearance.

    I think it's an Olive pick, and it's mounted in what I think is an Olive Wood stand.

    Can anyone identify the mark above Sterling and how old and where it might be from.

    It also has a monogramme on the front.

    I'm going to polish it up and keep it.

    20250321_100443.jpg


    20250321_100544.jpg


    20250321_100618.jpg


    20250321_100638.jpg

    20250321_100656.jpg

    20250321_100713.jpg

    20250321_100454.jpg


    20250321_100524.jpg
     
  2. i need help

    i need help Moderator Moderator

  3. Marote

    Marote Well-Known Member

    It's a butter pick (based on similar picks/pics)
     
  4. Marote

    Marote Well-Known Member

  5. daveydempsey

    daveydempsey Moderator Moderator

  6. daveydempsey

    daveydempsey Moderator Moderator

    I see what you mean, I have now found several more.
    I fail to see how it would work with butter :(
    I think the deceased used it as an olive pick as it was located in the cocktail cabinet, their choice.
    The spike is still sticky from its last use, probably decades ago :eek:
     
    bercrystal, Figtree3, komokwa and 4 others like this.
  7. Marote

    Marote Well-Known Member



    but here https://imgur.com/gallery/butter-pick-KJZV66s is another vid, where the pick is used to lift up curled bits of butter by sliding it into the center of the curl, or to pick up little squares of butter, by using it as a pick.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2025
  8. Marote

    Marote Well-Known Member

    I think the way it's used in the 2nd vid is more likely to be the intended purpose of this pick. I assume that with the pick, you will be able to roll out the curled bits of butter.
     
  9. mirana

    mirana Well-Known Member

    Just great. Now this YouTube lady has convinced me I desperately need one of these. :hilarious:
     
  10. ola402

    ola402 Well-Known Member

    My guess is that your former owner used this to wrangle the olives out of a tall jar. They can really pack them in there. This pick, IMO, would be best for that use. But usually I see forks, either 2 or 3 tine, used to stick olives, but they're not the easiest for the tall jars. I've also seen some spoons made for the purpose. Your guy was clever, even making a stand for it (or having it made by someone else).

    I really enjoyed seeing the videos of the butter picks. I didn't really have a good idea of how they worked. And like @mirana I think I now really need one of these.
     
  11. Marote

    Marote Well-Known Member

    Or, he liked https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginjinha, and used it to take the cherries out of the bottle. :)
    Now
     
  12. DragonflyWink

    DragonflyWink Well-Known Member

    That's a Hamilton & Diesinger mark - the information on 925-1000 came from Rainwater, and while usually reliable, like most references, whether in print or online, there are errors and omissions. Hamilton & Davis was formed in 1875, dissolved in 1880 - Hamilton & Diesinger was formed in 1882, in 1899 Hamilton left the firm and formed Hamilton & Son, in 1900 Diesinger retired and sold his company to Gimbel's. Can't recall seeing any pattern names by H&D...

    ~Cheryl
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2025
  13. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

  14. Bev aka thelmasstuff

    Bev aka thelmasstuff Colored pencil artist extraordinaire ;)

    I don't think they were used to pull olives out of a jar. We always had two kinds of olives at holiday dinners in fancy little bowls. We didn't have a pick. We had the claw tongs (which I still have)
     
  15. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Too interesting. I was unfamiliar with butter picks.

    Debora
     
  16. DragonflyWink

    DragonflyWink Well-Known Member

    Circa 1897.

    Looks like the Replacements researchers didn't find any pattern names either.


    Gotta say, I'm familiar with butter curls, but have never heard of using a butter pick to make those flimsy little 'swirly' things that would likely fall off the pick while transferring them to the plate...

    butter-pick-use-1924-Everybodys-Cook-Book.jpg


    butter-knives-spreaders-pick-1897-BHA.jpg

    olive-pickle-spear-spoon-fork-1897-BHA.jpg

    ~Cheryl
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2025
  17. Debora

    Debora Well-Known Member

    Found it! What's been missing from my life all these years... Butter quirls!!

    Debora
     
  18. DragonflyWink

    DragonflyWink Well-Known Member

    So I grew up with a silver butter pick, though we usually served with a butter knife, and we had a wired butter pat cutter (originally from when we owned a restaurant), also a weird butter curling tool with a circular blade that only Mom could use properly, and a butter curler/server like the one pictured below - and WOW, they are selling for crazy prices! Mine is packed away somewhere, but thought I'd give a heads up...

    https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=butter+curler&_sacat=0&_from=R40&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1


    butter-curler-sold.jpg


    ~Cheryl
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2025
  19. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    someone must have loved that pic enuf to make an art stand for it !!

    the pick is nice...... the wood carving......... excellent !!!
     
  20. stracci

    stracci Well-Known Member

    Those crazy Victorians!
    I need one, too:woot:
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page