Collecting Novelty Salt and Pepper Shakers
Novelty salt and pepper shakers have been produced in every shape and style imaginable. Explore the following pages to discover the wide, wacky world of Novelty Salt and Pepper Shakers.
In this section you will learn about the different designs used to produce S&P's. You will also learn the "Shaker Lingo" collector's use when referring to the differant shaker types they collect. The definitions below describe the majority of the 'structural types' or forms of salt and pepper sets that our members collect in the general shaker lingo that we use. These definitions do not include the various 'design types' the shakers can be in such as comic or realistic animals, realistic or anthropomorphic objects or vegetables, and so on. That could be another entire set of web page definitions one day!
Included with each definition are several photos of different shakers within each form type. Many shakers can be more than one type - such as a Longboy which is also a One Piece, a Wired Set which is also a Hanger, or any type which was created as part of a Series of several like sets.
ONE PIECE
One Piece shakers are unique in that both salt and pepper are dispensed from the one shaker piece. The shaker may be just one figural form with a division inside to separate the spices or it may consist of two separate figural forms pressed together while the porcelain or ceramic is still wet to form a union - either way, the finished piece is one shaker with separate fill and shaker holes for both the salt and the pepper. Classic styles are the Bellboys with their suitcases and the long animals with salt in one end and pepper in the other!
SHAKERS PLUS
Shaker sets that incorporate some other useful item into the design. A figure of a pair of cats with vinegar & oil cruet bodies with the shakers serving as their heads and cruet stoppers is a good example.
SNOW DOMES
Snow Dome shakers have a snow dome incorporated into one or both shakers. The idea being that when the shaker dispenses the salt or pepper, it will also put on a snow display afterwards. The older sets are almost always made of plastic and may have a variety of either souvenir site or winter/Christmas designs. Newer sets are often combinations of ceramic and glass with the snow dome sitting on a ceramic object base.
SQUEAKERS
Shakers that when turned over make a noise. You can see the devise that makes the shakers squeak in the second picture.
Turn-A-Bouts
Double faced. Example, a happy bride & groom that when turned around show a pair of weary looking new parents
