Antique 1798 Samuel Pemberton Sterling Silver Nutmeg Grater

Hello everyone!!
You may have seen the early 1900's Gorham silver nutmeg grater I posted several weeks ago. Well, here's the oldest one I have. This one was made by Samuel Pemberton in 1798. Samuel Pemberton, a jeweler and toymaker from Snow Hill, Birmingham, registered several silver marks at Birmingham Assay Office between 1773 and 1801. His son Samuel Pemberton (1738-1803) was a Guardian of the Assay Office in 1793. Other members of the Pemberton family participated in the silver trade including another Samuel Pemberton and Thomas Pemberton. They were in partnership with Roger Mitchell from c.1812 to 1821. Thomas Pemberton was a Guardian of the Assay Office from 1824 until 1830. This one is smaller than my Gorham nutmeg grater and measures only 1" tall and 1 1/4" long.

Personal nutmeg graters were used to carry and grate nutmeg, a spice that was expensive and fragrant. Nutmeg graters were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and were often carried in pockets or bags. It was the fashion for men to carry nutmeg in a pocket-sized silver container equipped with a grater in order to add freshly grated nutmeg to punch. Nutmeg graters are a bartenders' tool, used for adding freshly grated nutmeg to hot toddies, eggnogs, and other drinks. It was also used to grate nutmeg into milk as it began to sour in order to flavor it and hide the sour milk taste.

Thanks very much for stopping in for a look!!

Scott