Antique French Pewter Handheld Sausage Stuffer

This antique handheld sausage stuffer was made in France of pewter and maple. We purchased it along with other French pewter pieces from a collector. While non-functional, it's a handsome piece for display. Dating from the late 1800's into the 1900's, it has no gears or other mechanical parts.

The nicely turned maple plunger, more decorative than most we've seen, was made by a talented woodworker. There is a metal tip at its end that screws into the heavy pewter cylinder which holds the prepared meat. The cylinder has been given more decorative attention than is usual for a simple kitchen tool, having a row of raised bands down its length. Its tip is crinkled but intact. Given how narrow that tip is, it's possible this was also used for piping icing and making rosettes, etc., on pastries. There is a third piece, a wide pewter collar with incised lines that screws onto the cylinder and secures the plunger.

This stuffer (and/or icing piper) is 14 inches long assembled, measures about 2 1/4 inches across the collar and weighs 1 pound, 11 ounces. There are a few shallow dings and dents and some scratches in the cylinder, but no breaks. It's an interesting and decorative French kitchen antique.

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PYH 5700