Could this first date lead to an interesting new hobby? And what’s a ‘nappy’ anyway?

Q. I had a date with someone recently who is really into antiques. As a matter of fact, we went to an antique shop before we went to dinner. He was checking on something he had in layaway, so I just wandered around a bit looking at things. Gosh, there is a lot I don’t know about “old” beautiful stuff. I think this will be a pattern of going to antique shops if I continue to date this guy, and I know I won’t know what a lot of things are and what they were or are used for.

For example, I saw this beautiful piece of roundish clear cut glass (or maybe it was crystal for all I know) and it said it was a “nappy” on the price tag. It had a single, big, round-like upright circle or handle, I guess, on one side: What is a nappy?

A. Sounds like an interesting date and you obviously saw some unusual and pretty antiques or collectibles. Just to clarify things a bit when it comes to antiques and collectibles, please let me explain that some terms and names reflect back to a particular era when the items were produced rather than how we refer to them today. Also, sometimes, there can be two meanings.

So to answer your question of “What is a nappy?” It is something which has two meanings and uses. If I were in the UK and you asked me “What is a nappy?”, my first response would have been that it is a diaper. However, since you told me it was glass, that brings a totally different definition. In simple terms today, a nappy is a small dish or bowl, with one handle.

It is usually about four inches in length and width and about an inch or a little more in depth. It can be round shaped, ruffled, heart-shaped, or even spade-shaped. It can be made of intricately cut glass, pressed glass or crystal, or even a type of colored glass. To know if it is crystal or cut glass, very, very, very lightly and carefully tap the metal band of a ring on your finger on the edge of the item. If you hear a beautiful clear sound which seems to echo a bit, it is crystal. If it just has a rather dead clink sound, it is glass. Now back to what the nappy is used for. Before it got the name “nappy” it was often referred to as a berry dish.

As a “berry” dish, there would have been a larger bowl in which the berries, perhaps strawberries on which sugar had been added. The berries would have then been served into individual these little berry dishes. The smaller berry dishes would have matched the design of the larger dish.

Apparently someone in the late 1800s or early 1900s decided to add a handle to this berry dish, and it was then named a “nappy.” Its use at that time was to hold grapes or olives. Quite a change. Today, a nappy is used to hold small pieces of candy or nuts. There would be a small serving spoon inside the dish. You might find it on a dessert table, or because it has a handle, it could easily be passed from one person as they sit in a room without a table.

Have fun antiquing with your friend. By the way, if you see a little dish which has two handles, its name becomes “bonbon” dish.