Spoon-finder

November 29, 2021 12:11 PM

My friend's been looking for a few replacement pieces of her flatware set, and though she managed to track the set on Replacements.com without any luck. I'm guessing that most people don't know the model number of their flatware and this set doesn't seem particularly valuable, and hoping that there's some sort of finder that someone may recommend. Or are there other avenues that people would recommend to explore to track down some replacement silverware? Thanks!

Things we've tried: She's filled out the the "Find this for me" form on Replacements.com probably 1+ years ago now. She also tried to contact them to put her in touch with people who listed the set before, without any reply. A few months ago, I also visually checked anything with Towle or Supreme cutlery on Ebay and a quick check on Etsy. Any other suggestions are welcome!

posted by sincerely yours to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

Best answer: That's a fun unusual pattern! I'd set up eBay saved searches (with email notifications) for "Towle Supreme stainless" and similar queries (could include descriptive keywords like "scrolls"), and review the emails or check the site frequently. There are a bunch of people who make some money by picking up stainless flatware for 25 cents each from thrift stores and estate sales, identifying the pattern name or number, and putting them up on eBay by name at $4-5 each to sell to people looking for replacement pieces. Eventually they'll pick up this pattern somewhere.

I'll keep an eye out too - I picked up a pandemic hobby of collecting stainless flatware patterns from thrift stores, and I spend quite a bit of time poking around these categories on eBay and Etsy to help me identify patterns I have (and pick new patterns to look for).
posted by dreamyshade at 12:28 PM on November 29, 2021 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Nthing eBay saved searches, which can be a great resource if you're patient.

Another idea: Depending on how long ago the pattern was discontinued, your friend could call Towle directly. They might be able to point out a fruitful direction for the search, such as where they offload discontinued items, or may even have some tucked in a backroom somewhere. I've had very good luck doing that with KitchenAid and Waterford.
posted by DrGail at 1:16 PM on November 29, 2021

Also I checked the Stainless Flatware Guide from 1998, since I have it out from the library, and I don't see this pattern in there. Sometimes it has a different pattern name for something! But sadly, not this time.
posted by dreamyshade at 2:25 PM on November 29, 2021 [1 favorite]

I always recommend the 2002 Stainless Flatware Guide—some interesting updates!
posted by dianeF at 7:55 PM on November 29, 2021

Where is that available? I've only seen the 1998 one.
posted by dreamyshade at 8:21 PM on November 29, 2021

Response by poster: Thanks for all of your help, and I love that there are people who have picked up this skill at identifying silverware patterns! And a special thanks to dreamyshade for looking through the Flatware Guide.
I'll get on putting together some Ebay saved searches and thanks for making me feel not alone in this search :)
posted by sincerely yours at 9:11 AM on November 30, 2021