Description

Very collectible. A rare Scottish provincial silver travelling apple corer with a cylindrical baluster shaped handle. The plain shaped corer is detachable so that the blade can be stored inside the handle for easy portability. The three pieces are beautifully engineered with finely turned screw threads. The cover is hand engraved in old fashioned script “Jas.Campbell”.

Length 16.2cm
Weight 53 grams, 1.7 troy ounces.
Maker Nathaniel Gillert of Aberdeen.
Sterling silver
18th century.

Marks. Stamped on the screw end of the blade with maker’s mark only “NG” probably for Nathaniel Gillert of Aberdeen (active c.1766-1806).

Literature. Apple corers were generally made from turned wood, bone or ivory. It’s rare to find a silver apple corer as kitchenware made of silver could only be afforded by the rich. Of course, silver would have been a healthy option as the germ fighting properties of silver have been known since ancient times.

The earliest known silver apple corer dates to 1682. The size usually varies from 11 to 15cm however some corers are so tiny that they could only have been used for removing bad parts of the apple rather than removing the core. Another variant also contained an integral knife.

Many were manufactured by Joseph Willmore, Birmingham and other “toy” makers such as S. Pemberton, J. Taylor, etc. The London firm of Phipps and Robinson had a specialisation in small kitchenware items, as many kitchen nutmeg graters etc. are found with their mark.