Dear Helaine and Joe: Enclosed you will find photos of an item that has been a mystery in our family for years. It was sent to my grandmother as one of the things she received from an uncle's estate in the early 1950s. We have guessed it was a number of things, and I have drawn the mark on the bottom. Could you please tell me what it is and what its value may be? — Sincerely, J.B., Evansville, Ind.
Dear J.B.: The precise function of many things that were in common use years ago can be somewhat mystifying to us today because they are no longer a part of our lives. We have, for example, actually seen young people walk up to a rotary dial telephone, recognize what it is, but not know how to make it work.
The device belonging to J. B. comes from a time when butter normally came in one-pound rounds, not in 1/4-pound sticks. This circular slab might come from the milkman wrapped in paper and be stored in the icebox until the time came to use it at the table.
If a special meal was planned — such as one for company or to celebrate a holiday — the butter was unwrapped and placed on the plain circular insert when dinnertime approached. Next, ice or ice water was put in the bottom of the receptacle in the base of the fancy silver-plated frame to keep the butter cool and firm. Then, the insert with the butter on it fresh from the icebox was inserted into the round center hole in the center of the dish that was designed to hold it.
Finally, the domed lid was put in place on top to cover the butter, and the butter dish was ready to be taken to the dining room. At the table, the lid was raised and fastened to the top of the handle to make access to the butter easier.
Originally, there was a communal butter knife that matched the design on the butter dish. It was kept in the prong-like supports that are attached to the front of the frame, but unfortunately, this accessory item is now missing, and this will detract from the overall value of this piece just a bit.
This particular butter dish is quadruple-plated silver and was made by the Barbour Silver Co. of Hartford, Conn., which was founded in 1892 by Samuel A. Barbour. In 1898, this firm became "Factory A" of the new International Silver Co.
The butter dish belonging to J.B. is late Victorian and is decorated with designs that are associated with the Eastlake style. It was probably made sometime between 1895 and 1900, and the term "quadruple plate" found as part of the mark refers to the thickness of the original silver plating.
"Quadruple plate" has approximately four times more pure silver used in its manufacture than "standard plate," and when this term is found on a piece, it tends to indicate a quality product. On the current market, the insurance replacement value of this butter dish without its knife is between $200 and $275.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Questions can be mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.