Rare ANTIQUE 2 Tine FORK KNIFE Set 12 Piece SIGNED Cutlery Lamson Goodnow S. The handles are made of a very pretty wood – not sure what type of wood and very nicely crafted. A very high quality lot of cutlery and very hard to find in an 12 piece collection such as this. There is generally a premium paid for sets of this number of pieces which are rarely found. The knives were marked or etched or carved with H K with the owner’s initials on one side only. This was probably done for ownership purposes. The carving could be covered with a dark stain to match the wood color or a light wax could be used as well if so desired. We always maintain the history and condition of antique items as we find them. Lamson & Goodnow was established in 1837 in Shelburne Falls Massachusetts. They still operate a factory outlet in Shelburne Falls. This is one of the oldest cutlery manufacturing corporations in the country, and the fame of its products is world-wide. Two-tined forks largely stopped being used as standard dinner forks by the. Late 17th to early 18th century. When they were replaced by three- and four-pronged designs. While popular in the 17th century for holding meat while carving, their inability to hold smaller food items led to their decline in favor of more practical, curved, multi-tine options. We have collected early cutlery over the past 30 – 40 years and are offering another similar set of 3 tine forks with matched knives cutlery, so please view our other item listings. These are hard to find in any condition and especially in a 12 piece lot with 2 tine forks. Beautiful old color and patina! A well preserved unique example of a hard to find late 18th to early 19th Century matched cutlery set.
