I bought this bowl from a Value Village in 2013 when I was 28 years old. I am not sure which Value Village I purchased this from. I had a mission one summer to visit every Value Village in Southern Ontario. I think I managed to go to 10 stores. I know it was from a Southern Ontario location (I feel this came from someone’s estate) but am unsure of which city. I can’t remember how much I purchased this bowl for. Knowing myself, I most likely spent less than $5 on it.
It’s considered to be holloware. This small silver-plated bowl is pierced with a repeating pattern of what looks to be a fleur-shaped heart. It has a small foot that has an interior depression. This bowl could have been used for nuts or candies. Holloware, otherwise known as hollowware and hollowware, is any item that is not flatware. Holloware includes all different types of tableware items and silverware items. These items include candlesticks, teapots, coffee pots, creamer sets, pitchers, platters, etc. Holloware was a traditional gift for weddings and anniversaries. Many families have pieces like these passed down between generations.
This bowl was most likely made overseas. It doesn’t have the traditional stamps on the bottom to suggest it is of any value. It’s made from silver-plated nickel called ESNP, which is the acronym for electroplated nickel silver. It’s not considered precious metal so when electroplated items are appraised for value, the final price is usually based more on the item’s design, possible antiquity, and condition rather than its value as a piece of precious metal.
This piercing pattern in this bowl was made most likely with a pattern cutter and then punched into a press to get the shape of the bowl. ESNP is not considered precious metal so when electroplated items are appraised for value, the final price is usually based more on the item’s design, possible antiquity, and condition rather than its value as a piece of precious metal. The process was introduced in 1840 as a cheaper alternative to Sheffield plating. The closer your tray is to 1840, and the better its condition, the more likely it is to have some value. Generally speaking, ESPN is not highly sought-after merchandise. If this has real silver in it, it could be worth between $50-$100 online. But it most likely is worth the value I purchased it for at $5.
The Birks company made this bowl. The Birks Group traces its origins to the opening by Henry Birks of a small jewelry shop in Montreal in 1879. In 1953, Henry Birks and Sons bought out Roden Bros. Ltd., a company that produced silver hollowware, flatware, cut crystal, and medals. Birks manufactured their own flatware and some of their hollowware in their factory in Montreal up until the early 1990s when the factory was closed and production was moved offshore.
I like this because it is small. It is different than something you’d buy at IKEA. I bought it because it looked dainty. I was thinking I could use it on display at my popup shops to add a touch of history to the vignette. I also thought it would look nice cleaned up on my dresser for things like loose earrings and bracelets.
The bowl lives nested in a metal tray on top of my stereo, underneath my tv in my living room. I keep my ceramic letter balls in it currently. I haven’t moved it in years because it is one of those objects I don’t ever think about. It’s on display but also serves a purpose. I have used this bowl at craft market popup shows. I have mainly had this in my living room since I’ve owned it. It previously lived in my bedroom on my dressing table for about a year. I am debating cleaning it up and using it on my dressing table again.
This bowl reminds me more of a time in my life rather than a person. I was really heavily into scouting vintage scarves from second-hand stores. Around that same time, I began collecting interesting housewares I planned to use at my pop-up shops. The bowl is part of a granny-chic aesthetic I found appealing. This is another one of the things that I have had for a very long time and never thought twice about. I went through a phase of collecting interesting silver housewares. Some I’ve kept, and some I’ve put back into circulation at Value Village. This one has stayed with me because it’s so tiny, and you never know when you need a decorative bowl.
To clean the bowl, I would need some kind of silver polish and cloth and or a sonic cleaner. I don’t own anything like that so I’d have to borrow some from my mom or go buy some from Canadian Tire. I don’t love that you have to clean silver. It has a maintenance schedule. I haven’t cleaned it yet because I liked the tarnished look. I think I might clean it to give it a new life soon. When I’m gone, I would like this bowl to be donated.
This bowl makes me feel nostalgic in a way I don’t even recognize. It makes me think about a time way before I was around, the early 1900s. I think about wealth and status when I think about silver. It reminds me of how people’s values shift throughout time and space. I don’t believe many couples are registering for silverware and holloware anymore. It’s actually quite hard to give away silverware sets accumulated from marriages gone past. I think at some point, it could come to be en vogue again (as many things do), but I’m not certain.
On a scale of 1-10 for how upset I’d be if this item was lost (10 being very upset and 1 representing no thoughts given at all), I’d be a 3. It’s not replaceable, but at the same time, it’s a nice-to-have item. I don’t need it.
Material Appreciation 