For several years I've been interested in antique chocolate molds, I don't have any "yet" but I am always looking at them. Therefore, I was excited to get this book from Hobby House Press, Inc. in the hopes of getting more information.
Collector's Guide to Antique Chocolate Molds with Values by Wendy Mullen is a soft cover, 144 page book, published in 2002 that retailed for $29.95.
A great deal of work went into this book. It was fun to sit down and take a break while browsing through the pages of excellent pictures and numerous vintage ads. (And yes, I did get a huge craving for ANYTHING chocolate as I turned the pages).
The chapters are broken down into types of molds, e.g. bunnies, chicks, people, Christmas, etc. So even though there wasn't an index, it was fairly easy to look up a mold by subject for pictures and price information. Taking a look at Internet auctions, I could easily find a few molds to compare with those in the book. The prices were in the same range and I would have felt comfortable purchasing some of these from the information given
But there were a few things lacking. I would have liked to seen more information on differentiating between antique and new molds. There are metal molds being made today from the original dies and I would like to know more about how to tell them apart from the authentic molds. Or even find out if there is a clear way for a beginning collector to tell the difference.
I would also like to see more information on the companies producing the molds over the years, along with an index breaking down the years of production. Several companies are mentioned with a brief history, but the facts are sparse and hard to find in the text. That being said, if antique chocolate molds appeal to your sweet tooth of collecting, this book can definitely help in the quest for these fun collectibles. And this would be a nice addition to your reference library.
Notes from author Wendy Mullen:
"For more information The Chocolate Mould by Henry Dorchy & Laure Dorchy will give you a vast knowledge of makers, materials and time-lines. I love his book and highly recommend it."
"Newer molds are less detailed and made of a much lighter tin than the older molds and are usually not marked with a manufacturer's name or number. I would say that about 90% of the molds available are vintage to antique, the new molds from the American Chocolate Mould Co. aren't seen very often on eBay."
More Resources:
- Victorian Chocolate Molds - Author's Web Site
- Recent Mold Auction Prices
- Dad's Follies - Dorchy Book & Molds
