What-is-it question CXXVII.

[2209patrick]

The top item was made by Thomas Kinney, Norwich, Conncticut ( c. 1786-1836).
The bottom piece by Thomas Hammersly, New York City ( c. 1756).
I estimate their length to be from 6 to 8 inches ( 15.24 cm. to 20.32 cm.).

What were these used for or called?
( My reference does not call these apple corers or marrow scoops ).



Pat.
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[wev]

If you are quoting from Bigelow, then the bottom apple corer (which is what they are, no matter what name they may travel by) is not by Hammersley. It is in the Heritage Foundation collection and its mark, now unattributed, matches one on a wine siphon also of 19th century vintage.
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[2209patrick]

Probably should have worded my first post differently.

The book calls them "Butter Testers". Have not heard that term and wondered if anyone else had heard it used for items like these.
I know they usually are identified as "Apple corers".



Pat.
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[wev]

Which book is it?

Kinney's surname was generally spelled Kinne and once, that I know of, Kinnee.
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[2209patrick]

"A Treasury of Old Silver", 1947.
The articles in it come from many different isues of "American Collector".
This article was written by Kurt M. Semon.

Pat.
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[wev]

The butter idea is interesting, but I think flawed. Butter was not a high-end commodity -- it was an easily made (albeit laborious) home product in that era. Why an expensive tester? A tasty apple, on the other hand, was a luxury fruit. Only one seed-grown tree out of something like a thousand produces a fruit approaching edible. Since apples do not breed true, only grafted trees from a known parent will give good apples and that is a slow and costly endeavor, especially when ready money could be made from the common, johnny appleseed apple's end form, hard cider. I can easily see a well-to-do planter proudly passing around a platter of apples and a silver corer like these to his guests.
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