Salt and Pepper Shakers

SALT CELLARS

Salts are scarce but not rare. Their companion pepper shakers are very rare and quite expensive. Salts are very useful on the dining table and should have a tiny spoon to ladle the salt. See the third picture to see the salts in use with their spoons, the matchbook is to show scale. The two smaller salts are typical size examples of early salts. Their top and bottom rims are octagonal. The larger example is significant because of its size, it is not as well decorated as the smaller ones and is probably of a later date. Its top rim is more scalloped than octagonal in shape but the bottom is octagonal. It has a deeper pocket for the salt.

PEPPER SHAKERS

Canton pepper shakers are far rarer and considerably more expensive than their salt cellar companions. They are all pear shaped, they have 7-9 holes in the top mostly in a square pattern but also in a circle, and they have filling holes in the bottom which had corks. They range in size from 3 1/2" high to 3 3/4". The bottoms are glazed.