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Wooden butter moulds, once used in old dairy farm kitchens, are now very popular collectibles. Many of these moulds had a one-of-a-kind, hand-carved design that left an attractive decorative print after the butter was pressed into the mould. During the 19th century, it was possible to order moulds with specific designs or initials. Round butter moulds generally came in quarter-pound, half-pound, one-pound or two-pound sizes. Even very small moulds for individual pats of butter could also be found.

Today butter moulds in all sizes and designs are being reproduced and sold to collectors and those anxious to capture a look from years past. A half-pound print of butter set in an old butter dish certainly adds a nice touch to a special occasion.

This historic document aired on the radio as an Historic Minute on 06/13/2005.

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