1881 Rogers Candlestick Holder & 1847 Rogers Bonbon/Nut Spoon – Confusing Names and Dates with Antiques

I had a confusing experience when buying what I thought looked like a vintage candlestick holder made out of pewter.

1881 Rogers E.P.N.S. Pewter 5619 Chamber Candlestick Holder

I recently purchased an old looking candlestick holder with the markings on the bottom reading “1881 Rogers E.P.N.S Pewter 5619”. The 1881 line on the bottom was pretty worn out but with a magnifying glass you could still read it. The large “PEWTER” marking is easily seen. The name is flanked by two branch like marks.

The chamber candlestick holder is slightly tarnished and marred but has no rust. The sconce had some old wax in it. There is some pitting on the bottom of the piece.

The chamber candlestick holder was made to be carried, thus, the handle for the thumb. The large base or wax pan was made to catch dripping wax so it would not fall on the floors, carpets or on the person’s clothing.

Chambersticks were used by people to go to bed or to their chambers in the evening. In order to maximize the light, the chambersticks were often placed in front of a mirror.

Everyone recognizes the name Rodgers being associated with fine silver but I wasn’t sure if they ever made pewter which is a much cheaper metal.

The first thing I did was to go online which took some scrolling about. It was initially hard to find anything about this piece.

There was one missing puzzle piece which unlocked the history of the candlestick holder.

The candlestick holder was made by Oneida Ltd. not really Rogers. Oneida Ltd. was out of Oneida, NY from the years 1880 to 2006.

The 1881 Rogers was a brand name that Oneida acquired in 1929. That still doesn’t tell me the age of the piece other than it was probably made between 1929 and 2006. The E.P.N.S. translates to electroplated nickel silver.

Oneida Ltd. started production of silver-plated flatware and hollowware in 1899 using the “Community Plate” marking. They were known for producing middle class silver.

I’ll keep looking online for more information for my Readers and try to figure out more about the candlestick holder.

• 

• 

1847 Rogers Remembrance Pattern Spoon

The second piece I want to blog about is this unusual spoon with holes in the design. I’ve blogged about this spoon before but I was unsure of its use.

I always thought the holes in the spoon made the piece interesting. It is actually a bonbon/nut spoon made by Rodgers International in the 1847 Rogers Remembrance pattern. This spoon is silver plated flatware. I’m not sure if I need a separate spoon to serve my bonbons and nuts but apparently there is the need for one.

The Remembrance Pattern was made in the 1940’s not in 1847 as you would think with the name.

Well now that I have everyone totally confused about names and dates, I guess I’ll retire to my chambers with my candlestick holder and my bonbons. Don’t forget the bonbon spoon right?

What Exactly is a Bonbon?

I wasn’t sure what a bonbon was, so I checked the internet. A bonbon is a piece of chocolate covered candy filled with nuts, fruit, caramel, liqueur, or nougat. It is made in a half sphere shape with a flat bottom. They are often sold with each piece covered in foil.

Bonbon comes from the French language and means candy.

In the 17th century apparently the Royal court ate bonbons.

If you have any questions about today’s blog, please feel free to leave us a comment below. We would love to hear about your antiquing adventures. Thank you.

• 

• 

Update June 29, 2021 – The above 1881 Rogers chamber candlestick holder, white candle and wooden vintage-looking clothespins were donated and mailed to the Fauquier History Museum and Old Jail to be used in the old jail exhibit.

To make the white candle look scene appropriate, I lite it and then burned it down several inches.

I thought the vintage-looking but hard to find wooden clothespins might come in handy to hang something up.