L.B. Rothchilde

Vintage Pewter Ice Cream Molds

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George Washington may well have been America's first celebrity consumer of ice cream back in the 18th century.  Washington was known to have purchased an "cream machine for ice" as early as 1784.  An inventory of his estate in the early 1800s noted two "pewter ice cream pots" in the upstairs kitchen of his Mt. Vernon home.

In the 1800's ice cream served at fancy parties was often molded into festive shapes. This was a borrowed tradition from molded puddings and custards. 

During the Victorian era, ice cream was often pressed into molds which produced elegant, elaborate frozen desserts.  Certainly most of the pewter ice cream molds were used commercially by merchants of the late 1800s and early 1900s, but the vast majority were marketed for private at-home use.

It was approximately 1918 when Joseph Micelli Sr. brought his metal fabrication expertise to the Eppelsheimer mold manufacturing company of New York City, who sculpted the molds with remarkable details of animals, people, flowers, fruit and even vegetables. Eppelsheimer molds have E & co NY and its catalog number on every one of their molds.  

Krauss was also one of the first producers of U.S. ice cream molds at the company named Schall & Co. The firm was located at 333 West 18th St., New York, NY.  Krauss molds are distinguishable by their integrated mould hinge rather than soldered hinges.  Schall molds have S & Co and the catalog number on their molds.

Ice cream molds are now a valued collectible. They are often given as gifts. Experts today however warn that while the ice cream molds of the past are very collectible, they should be used only for display. There may be traces of lead in the early molds, we suggest they not be used directly with food.