You may have seen a store with the $500 5-Piece Table Set. Or a store with silverware for $150. Relax, you don’t have to pay that price yet to begin with. Start small and little by little you will be able to build a great collection of Wallace La Reine cutlery entirely through eBay.

This article will point out some things to know about knives and forks in two different sizes. The examples and sizing used are specifically for the Wallace The Queen pattern.

Dinner size vs. Lunch or venue size

The main knives and forks in most patterns come in two different sizes: the dinner size and the lunch size, which is also called the “place” size. Dinner forks or knives are usually around a half inch longer than lunch size. However, they are substantially heavier than that extra half inch would indicate. Few patterns come in continental size, but it is very rare and refers to the larger overall size and longer length of flatware that is popular in Europe. You are also marked by forks, knives, and soup spoons larger than dinner size.

Continental teaspoons tend to be the same as American standard sizes. (For example, in the popular Wallace Grand Baroque pattern, the knife sizes are – L: 9″, D: 9 3/4″, C: 10 5/8″.) Nearly all collection listings and individual cutlery that you see on eBay will be for lunch size, not dinner size flatware.

You must know the dimensions of your pattern pieces and be sure you are bidding on what you want; sometimes you may have to ask the seller for the measurements. Some patterns (rarely) come in different weights and have an M (“Massive” – ​​the heaviest), H (“Heavy”) and there are also lighter “Trade” and “Extra” weights. Of cause, the rarer it is, the more expensive it becomes.

In the next article, I’ll talk about French blade vs. modern blade knives and the difference between the discontinued patterns and those still being made.