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Pewter Ice Cream Moulds are extremely popular among
those who
collect ice cream memorabilia. Ice cream moulds have been
around for
about 200 years. The precise date as to when moulds were
first used to
produce "fancy forms" of ice cream may never be determined
historical
data is quite difficult to obtain. It is estimated that
approximately
2500-3000 different designs were produced. Moulds were
made in two
basic sizes. The most common size is the Individual mould,
which was
meant to serve a single portion. The second size is
normally called a
Banquet mould. It is much larger and was primarily used as
a
centerpiece for entertaining and served from 4-10 people.
Banquet
moulds are quite rare and command premium prices when they
are found.
A number of different companies were known to have
produced pewter
moulds. In the United States, two major competing firms
arose. First on
the scene in 1854 was Schall & Co. located in New
York. This
company became the Krauss Co. in 1860. The second major
mould-making
firm in the United States was the Eppelsheimer Co., also
located in New
York. These two companies produced thousands upon
thousands of moulds
which were sold to ice cream companies, bakeries,
confectioners, and
caterers, who did the actual "moulding" of the ice cream
forms which
then became the highlight of many a party during the late
1800's and on
through the 1950's. The vast majority of moulds found in
collections
today had their origin with these two companies. Mould
companies also
were active in Europe, particularly in France, Germany,
and England.
Moulds frequently are found with letters/numbers on
them. These were
added by the makers to identify their work. E & Co.,
NY is often
found on Eppelsheimer moulds, while S & Co identified
the Schall
Company. A mould marked E & Co. #1144 can be
identified as a
Poinsettia (mould #1144) made by the Eppelsheimer Co. Most
companies
produced catalogues listing moulds by number for retailers
- these are
of great help in identifying moulds today.
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