Working at an art and antique store has proven to be so much fun for me. It has also proven to be a major learning experience. Several months ago, I started to write a series for Clarksville Online and I never did get that second article out. Reason being that I STILL haven’t found a good answer to the question I ended that first article with. Not a definitive one anyway, but definitely loads of opinions – each of them slightly different than the other. So, I called a stalemate.
That got the best of me for many months. But now I am refreshed and ready to try this thing again, I call writing. It is a stretch for me – I am not a writer, nor am I comfortable saying I am an expert in any subject. I will say I love to learn more about the items my vendors bring in to sell – both the art and the antiques. The past month, I have had loads of new questions from customers – and it got me to start looking up information online again to give them those answers. I have discovered folks out there obsessed with all kinds of obscure things and the wonderful world of the internet has brought them together. Comforting as it may be to them – I am just amused by it, and enjoy how much they enjoy themselves in turn.
What got me starting on this rant was today. A customer brought a piece up to me…
“What is this?” she asked showing me an egg coddler.
“An egg coddler,” I replied, since I had previously noted the name on the vendor’s tag. “But what is it used for?” she asked.
“To eat the egg” I replied, with more of a question in my tone and not at all convincing.
Embarrassed, I went straight to the computer and looked it up.
According to a web site dedicated to Egg Coddlers, an egg coddler is “a porcelain or pottery cup with a lid that is used to prepare a dish called, appropriately enough, coddled eggs. Coddled eggs are very much like poached eggs, except that the egg is cooked inside the coddler. The egg(s) are broken into the buttered coddler, and seasonings are added, if desired. The coddler is then closed with the lid and partially immersed in boiling water for a few minutes. When the eggs are cooked to the desired firmness, the coddler is lifted from the boiling water, the lid removed, and breakfast is served, in a lovely decorated dish”
Egg coddlers are not to be confused with the egg cup, which typically has a pedestal on it and no lid. Egg cups are not for cooking, only for serving. (And just as a side note: true collectors of coddlers get a little worked up if you get them confused!)
There are literally hundreds of discontinued patterns on egg coddlers. And since they are still making them today, there may still be hundreds more. You can still get egg coddlers at some of the finer department stores, but I like the collectibles or the vintage ones.
These are fun little collectibles that are often overlooked, but their history and their purpose provide for an unique story.
For my next article I am going to be doing an interview with a local artist to learn more about them.
Have an idea for a topic you want to learn more about? Send it to me at kendall@artifactsemporium.com and I will see if I can cover all the topics.
