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FREE: MUST SEE Very Elegant Cream and Sugar Set With Matching Platter - A REAL MYSTERY!!!

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Description

The listing, MUST SEE Very Elegant Cream and Sugar Set With Matching Platter - A REAL MYSTERY!!! has ended.

My Mother purchased this cream and sugar set at an estate sale sometime last year, believing it was silver.

I have to admit that it DOES look like silver to me. It is COMPLETELY non-magnetic.

My wife's Jeweler called to let us know that her resizing on a bracelet was done, and I asked her to take these with her when she went for her bracelet and see if she could have them looked at.

And here is how the Jeweler Visit went down:

My wife presented them to the Jeweler's wife, who concluded that she, too, felt they were likely silver. Her husband, The Jeweler, was apparently busy with a young couple who were looking at diamond rings, but she interrupted long enough to have him take a quick look. His first remark was "We don't need any more of this stuff" and she proceeded to tell him my wife just wanted to know what they were. He then pulled out his loop, looked one of the cups over, rubbed it with his thumb for a quick minute, looked at it with his loop again, then stated "I don't think it's silver. It might be plated, or be a silver alloy, but it is slightly too light to be pure."

I am going to side with the Jeweler. And I will tell you why.

1.) I can find no hallmarks on these. The pieces are quite elaborate. There should at least be SOME sort of hallmark.

2.) The server pieces are lined with porcelain. (Yes - it's real!) Silver is a safe metal for consumables, and I don't see that there would be a need to line it with porcelain if it were silver. (Unless, of course, it was over-kill; but why...?)

Ultimately, I believe it is a high grade Pewter. It is most definitely NOT plated. Whatever it is, it is bone solid. Each piece weighs in at around 4-1/2 to 5 ounces. The total weight is about 14-1/2 ounces using my non-digital 'Weight Watchers' scale.

I am hoping that someone with more experience in this sort of thing might pipe in and give their opinion here.

Regardless, it is an ADORABLE little set, and I will ship it for free.

Questions & Comments

Very pretty...they would look great next to the silver covered butter try I won on here about a year ago. Fanned and watching!

Jun 15th, 2012 at 11:26:59 AM PDT by

Awesome - and Fanned You Back!

Jun 15th, 2012 at 8:02:14 PM PDT by

Ok haven't had my coffee yet! I meant to say underneath the mural are actual pictures of people would lived here including the owner and tons of news paper clippings of things that took place here in a collage!! A very beautiful sight! In fact, the owners daughter took ill here in this home/general store, where she passed away in an upstairs bedroom. If you ever watched Little House on the Prairie, the home and store INSIDE resembles the Nelson's general store & home attachment!

Jun 15th, 2012 at 6:04:03 AM PDT by

We are scheduled to visit Up North next Spring and of course always travel through VA. Having a "Secret Place" to stop in along the way could break the monotony of the 1100 mile drive and turn Dad into a real-life super hero for the remainder of the trip...

I like it!

And I know all about that "coffee" thing! I need a good 8 cups a day to function properly - and am 'allowed' a total of two cups a day - split into three settings....!

Jun 15th, 2012 at 7:59:13 PM PDT by

I can't remember who originally owed the store right off, but upstairs in the office is a hand painted mural of old Sylvatus county from the early nineteen hundreds of the church, school, mill and other things. Underneath the mural is actual picture of didn't people would lived here including the owner and tons of news paper clippings of didn't things that took place here in a collage. All professionally done and it's so beautiful!! Only been moved in for a month so haven't had time to just go sit and read the collage but it takes up one whole wall! No we're not in town, we're right off Rt.100 about 15 minutes outside of town by the short cut roads! When you come for another visit let me know and I'll give you a tour and that goes for you too mojobadge, you'll love it!!

Jun 15th, 2012 at 5:46:52 AM PDT by

I'm IN!

Jun 15th, 2012 at 7:48:42 PM PDT by

I can't tell without seeing these items in hand, but my guess is that you're right that they are Pewter! Very elegant set and would look great in my early eighteen / nineteen hundreds General Store! I have an antique Cast Iron / Pewter Potbelly wood stove that they would look beautiful on! Wonderful auction, fanned & watching!

Jun 13th, 2012 at 9:21:14 PM PDT by

Oh, my - that sounds INCREDIBLE, Bwolfmomma. I remember when I was a little boy in Akron, Ohio in the mid 1960's. My Parents would give me a dime for lunch before leaving to school. Lunch was only 7 cents, so I would go to the General Store just across the street from the school and splurge the extra 3 cents on 3-for-a-penny jar-candy before the bell rang. (It was always a race to get the beloved candy and make it to my classroom on time!) And I REMEMBER that they heated the little space of the store with a potbelly furnace. What a great time it was to be alive.

Thank you so much for sparking those memories. And thank you for your knowledgeable input. I have SO Fanned you back!

Jun 13th, 2012 at 10:42:57 PM PDT by

pretty!! nice auction --fanned

Jun 14th, 2012 at 8:17:55 AM PDT by

Thank You - I Fanned you back!

Jun 14th, 2012 at 7:25:58 PM PDT by

I was born and raised on the east coast in the city and always hated it ! My icon growing up was Grizzly Adams and swore one day to live in the county. I was the President of the VFW Post 3219 Ladies Auxiliary back home and was invited to be in the Hillsville Veterans Day Parade. I called my husband the next day after arriving and told him I wasn't coming back! With in 2 months I had found my husband a good job, found a house and moved my family to Hillsville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It took a year & a half to find this new home with the old General Store attached; but it was so worth the wait! It was built in 1893 and was where the county paid their taxes and the old dry goods General Store. I'm working very hard right now and am going to reopen it in the spring of 2013 and keeping it the original Old Sylvatus General Store! It's like walking back in time to the old Gun Smoke T.V. show! I have falling in love with my new home, if that's at all possible; the mountains, the people and all that this new wonderful life has installed for me! I'm glad you have such wonderful memories of your childhood and hope to install some really great ones for my last daughter I have at home to raise, she already loves to walk to the creek fifteen foot off the house to go crawfishing at 12yrs. old. I can truly say, I finally found my piece of Heaven!

Jun 14th, 2012 at 8:42:22 AM PDT by

Grizzly Adams, Gunsmoke - Oh, Yeah! (Loved them BOTH, myself!) And the house sounds AMAZING! We have traveled through the Blue Ridge Mountains and the scenery and heritage is phenomenal. NOTHING like a city - and certainly nothing like the 'modern' cities. You are truly Blessed to BE there - let alone LIVE there! I remember stopping in a very small town that had several store front homes along the main strip. It was like being in another place in time. Soooo peaceful.

I envy you!

Jun 14th, 2012 at 7:25:30 PM PDT by

F & W :-)

Jun 14th, 2012 at 6:27:44 PM PDT by

Most appreciated - Thank You!

And I Fanned you back!

Jun 14th, 2012 at 7:27:03 PM PDT by

I like them, so they are at least vintage right? f & w :)

Jun 12th, 2012 at 1:18:44 PM PDT by

To be completely honest - I don't know. If I were to "guess", I would say they are probably 1970's or, more likely, 1980's...? But I can't tell for sure and am COMPLETELY guessing. What I CAN tell is these are jewelry grade pieces, i.e. - they definitely weren't purchased at a Walmart, or someplace of that ilk. They 'feel' every bit as serious as they look, and you can tell that there was a good deal of handy-work put into them. Wish I knew more...but I am pretty much clueless on the origin....

P.S.: Thank You - I Fanned you back. ;)

Jun 12th, 2012 at 5:37:57 PM PDT by

My e-mail address is adaneff@aol.com. I will take you up on the tour when I come back. My ancestors Floyd Allen and Sidna Allenand my great grandfather Victor Allen had stores there. Ron Leonard showed us around many places that are tied to my family when we visited. Have you met him? He has some great art pieces and when i was there some were displayed by the Historical Society.

Jun 15th, 2012 at 7:42:55 PM PDT by

Who used to own the old general store you purchased? Are you near the courthouse? I am hoping to come back to Hillsville next spring. It is a Paradises to me My husband loves it there as well and we would move in in a heart beat but our children and grandchildren are all here in Cincinnati so we will have to settle for visits.

Jun 15th, 2012 at 4:43:56 AM PDT by

I visited there in 2010 to find my grandfather's grave. I totally fell in love with that part of the country. In 2011 we visited again and brought our grand-daughter to see where her ancestors lived. When I feel stress I remember the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I wish my family had stayed there and I could have grown up there.

Jun 14th, 2012 at 8:33:09 PM PDT by

Yes you are correct lindamcdaniel, I'm in Hillsville,Va.. I love it here, the only thing I would change would be to have more land for some horses and a few cattle!!

Jun 14th, 2012 at 8:01:33 PM PDT by

good well you know how to contact me! lol :)

Jun 13th, 2012 at 5:35:31 PM PDT by

;)

Jun 13th, 2012 at 6:32:26 PM PDT by

lol oh ok I wasn't sure if it was the seller or the trusted badge, I know the option disappears after the first bid is placed but when I first spoke to you about it there wasn't a bid, maybe I should of spoke to you sooner :( lol oh well. I didn't do a GIN until way later anyways lol now I offer it on all my auctions. One time I was posting my auctions and one sold before I was done lol i liked that! :)~

Well if the whim comes back and she decides cobalt blue is out make sure you contact me I WANT THEM lmao That's funny you try to keep her busy and she is! By keeping you busy lol

Well still got 5 days to go hopefully I have enough to compete for this auction, I would really love to own them :)

Jun 13th, 2012 at 1:03:04 PM PDT by

Oh - I have no doubt that the whim will come - the only real question is "When", lol. She likes what she likes until she likes something else and when that happens what she likes now becomes what she liked and more times than not ends up at my house!

Jun 13th, 2012 at 3:14:54 PM PDT by

Yeah I know that feeling, I'm doing kind of the same thing. I quit my job back in Feb. I'm full-time now with my shop online. So I decided to redecorate my kitchen, dining room and living room. Stuff at the end of the counter, I KNOW THAT FEELING! lol But I don't think you can do a GIN right now (i could be wrong) I think you have to get the trusted sellers badge first. that's what I meant by to bad. :) Either way I like them, and your mother has good taste :P I collect cobalt blue glass, have for some years now. I collected brass to but I have finally said my piece with them and getting rid of those to. I have a lot! lol

Jun 13th, 2012 at 5:54:25 AM PDT by

They actually allow you to do GIN's once you have a Seller Badge. (My previous 6 listings contained a GIN; four were used.) Had I ANY clue about these, I likely would have offered one. But I felt I had guessed enough for one item and let well be well, lol. (That option does, of course, disappear once a bid is placed.)

My Mother changes her decor pretty much seasonally. She lives alone, and when the mood strikes - it's out with the old, and in with the new! And when it happens - EVERYTHING can fall victim to the whim. The Cobalt Blue Phase started with her liking ONE particular piece that she had acquired - then decided she wanted ALL Cobalt Blue, lol.

And Thank You - I will pass your compliment on to her; if she doesn't see it herself, first. I did get her to join Listia (thinking it might give here something fun to do in her spare time), and though she has stayed quiet thus far, she thinks it's a wonderful idea also. In fact, she thinks it's such a wonderful idea that I now have about a pallet's worth of tagged "whim" clothing, shoes and jewelry sitting here - staring back at me - that she scrubbed out of her closets and spare rooms - just to make sure I have plenty of fun things to do in my spare time... :(

Jun 13th, 2012 at 11:32:16 AM PDT by

Fanned & watching.

Jun 13th, 2012 at 1:17:42 AM PDT by

Thank You - Fanned You Back!

Jun 13th, 2012 at 10:42:33 AM PDT by

Well thank you for being honest and telling me what you "think" they may be. I appreciate the honesty :) They are unique I have to say that, I don't think I have ever see porcelain used in this type of item. I have a basket from Farber & Shlevin NY its a Tin & Porcelain Basket and I know it's old. But never have I seen the combo in a cream and sugar set. I love it! To bad you can't put a GIN on it now, I would definitely get it :) I guess I will just battle it out for it lol

Jun 12th, 2012 at 8:16:36 PM PDT by

And Thanks for the input! ('Tin & Porcelain' is a new concept to me!) I thought about putting a GIN on these - for about a half second, lol. I couldn't see doing it when I have no useable idea of what they are. My Mother dumped them on me when she changed out her China cabinet to all Cobalt Blue, and they have sat at the end of one of my kitchen counters since. My wife and kids don't drink coffee at all, and I drink a regulated amount of instant black coffee. So they became the perfect item for me to put on Listia, but I am leaving it up to the community to valuate them. If they draw enough credits to cover the shipping cost, I will be thrilled; if they don't, I'll still be thrilled because they will finally be off my kitchen counter!!

Jun 12th, 2012 at 9:47:55 PM PDT by

Hillsville VA. by any chance?

Jun 14th, 2012 at 6:06:22 PM PDT by

I'm praying I do get these beauties chcatpa!! I've dumped everything into this auction too but I've still got thousands of credits on this, so not to worried. But if I don't win this then at least mojobadge will have had one AWESOME AUCTION!!

Jun 18th, 2012 at 5:04:31 PM PDT by

It's been just awesome from start to end. I wish Listia had a "Happy With That" option to stop a listing where it is - because I would sure do it! I enjoy credits like the next person (well - my KIDS enjoy most of them!) but these have certainly gone FAR beyond anything I would have imagined. I told my kids when I was listing these that they would likely go for around 1500-2000 credits....

Needless to say, my expectations have been blown COMPLETELY out of the water!

Jun 18th, 2012 at 6:57:41 PM PDT by

You're so very right lindamcdaniel and have also met so new friends too! Mojobadge I've had a blast with this auction, I'll be sad to see it see this auction end in a day!! And lindamcdaniel it is a sad story on what happened to your family!

Jun 17th, 2012 at 7:36:42 PM PDT by

I agree 1000%. In fact, I am going to try to regroup today and see if I can get something else unique up before it ends. I doubt it will be as fun as this one has been, but it's worth a try!

Jun 18th, 2012 at 8:54:08 AM PDT by

This has auction has been so much fun.

Jun 17th, 2012 at 6:45:19 PM PDT by

It most certainly has.

Jun 18th, 2012 at 8:52:36 AM PDT by

They are beautiful.

Jun 16th, 2012 at 9:55:58 PM PDT by

Thank You!

Jun 16th, 2012 at 11:35:01 PM PDT by

I will definitely be keeping an eye on your auctions, even if I don't win this one; there will be others I will love as much as this one!! I'm just so happy it's doing so good!

Jun 18th, 2012 at 3:31:43 PM PDT by

Awww ... your Welcome, glad I could help you solutionalize your mystery LOL !

Jun 16th, 2012 at 7:42:02 PM PDT by

Yes, I am related to the famous Allen family but was not aware of the history until 4 years ago. I find the whole story so very sad and tragic. My Great-Grandfather Victor was the brother of Sidna and Floyd. He died when I was three and my Grandfather Wilbern Sidna Allen died three years later. I am not sure why we were never told the story. My family lived in KY. My grandfather is buried in Bolen Cemetery in Hillsville which is why I was there to try to locate his grave. When I went to the Historical Society I found a complete family history.

Jun 16th, 2012 at 6:16:59 PM PDT by

bwolfmomma hoping you win this beauty. I can see it in your store.

Jun 18th, 2012 at 3:38:41 PM PDT by

Me too lindamcdaniel, it would look beautiful for decoration sitting on my 100 year old pot belly wood stove; it's black cast iron with pewter trim that sits in my store front. I could never part with it either!

Jun 18th, 2012 at 3:47:05 PM PDT by

O-M-G!!! She's done it already?!!! Yesssssssssss lol I will be looking forward to those auctions mojobaddge! Thanks!! I already dumped all I have into this auction, bwoflmomma, it's on you, hope you get them!! Good Luck! :)

Jun 18th, 2012 at 4:27:02 PM PDT by

During Labor Day weekend Hillsville has the largest Gun Show and Flea east of the Mississippi ! Between Rt.58 and that runs through town and Rt. 100 over 50,000 people hit our little town, it is massive! If ya luckily you might get through half of it before the weekend is up! I won't have my General Store open til Spring 2013 but I will be having a huge yard sale to join in the fun! If ya able to come out for the Gun Show & Flea market I can give you a tour of this Historic home and the offer extends to you too mojobadge!

Jun 16th, 2012 at 6:06:33 AM PDT by

Nothing beats a real Country Flea Market! Here in Florida, we have the 'world famous' Daytona Flea Market - which has become a HORRIBLE conglomeration of commercialized nonsense (unless one is fond of ENDLESS cell phone accessory shops, outrageously priced T-Shirts, cheap knock offs of famous maker sunglasses, and half of the world's imported costume jewelry supply....)

Unfortunately, we will not make Labor Day - but I have already started to map out Hillsville for our Spring trip to Ohio!

Jun 16th, 2012 at 11:03:14 AM PDT by

This has been the most interesting listing. I really do want to visit your store and meet you when I come back to Hillsville. I had never heard of Hillsville until 4 years ago and I can not get enough of that beautiful town .I was welcomed into homes of complete strangers and treated like family. The Historical Society is one of my favorites. I should start saving my pennies for the Bolin Family Farm Flea Market and your General Store.

Jun 16th, 2012 at 5:44:17 AM PDT by

MUST SEE Very Elegant Cream and Sugar Set With Matching Platter - A REAL MYSTERY!!! is in the Home & Garden | Home Decor category