Heart-Shaped Ice Cream Dish

Q: I have a heart-shaped dish our family tradition claims was used for very special ice cream sundaes at a soda fountain about 1930. It had special meaning for my grandparents who kept it displayed on a shelf in the living room. I wonder if you know anything about its special use. Was it for special occasions? Was the dish given away or sold?

A: The heart-shaped ice cream dish was used with a heart-shaped ice cream dipper made in 1925. The scoop of ice cream fit perfectly into the dish. Then the soda jerk (yes that was what he was called) finished off a special sundae with a flavored sauce, chocolate, marshmallow, fruit or a combination. The sundae might even have been topped with whipped cream, sprinkles or nuts. Your grandparents probably shared a sundae on a meaningful day, perhaps the day Grandfather proposed. The original heart-shaped dishes had a grapevine or hearts and flowers design pressed into the glass. The signature of the inventor of the dipper, John Manos, was also part of the design. New heart-shaped glass dishes sell for just a few dollars today. The 1925 dishes sold wholesale in a set of 24 dishes and a dipper for $8.28. In recent years, a single dish has auctioned for about $1,000.