"I'm serving the crumbliest bread . . ." she thought

And what kind of dastardly plan is a host or hostess hatching when bread is selected based on its crumbliness? A not-so-subtle plan to use this lovely crumber!

When sterling flatware was at its height, there were specialized pieces for every imaginable purpose. The crumber is an excellent example, a large item with a singular role - removing crumbs from the table. It would be used between courses to gather the crumbs and leave the table clean for the next course.

This crumber was made in 1910 and is English. Many American silver patterns of this time included crumbers and you can easily find them online and in antique shops. Many have lovely monograms like the 'M. D.' seen above.

This one has an ivory handle and is about 12" - the hallmarks on the reverse tell us when and where it was created. It was an eBay purchase and rather inexpensive because there is a small crack in the handle; it doesn't affect the use of the crumber, however, so I don't mind.

To see other crumber examples, check out the Antique Cupboard. You might find one you can't live without - and then you'll be hoping for messy diners, too!