Collectible chocolate molds

After a night of trick or treating with the grandkids and seeing all of that chocolate candy, I got to thinking about antique chocolate molds. Making chocolate in the Victorian era was both a skill and an art. The most prolific mold company was Anton Reiche founded in 1870. They manufactured thousands of two piece of tin molds in all kinds of designs for both commercial and home use. American and other European companies also made molds. The largest molds were around 36 inches tall and consisted mostly of Santas or Bunnies to be displayed in the windows of confectioners and candy shops. These early molds are usually copper lined with tin whereas the 20th century models were steel lined with tin. Metal molds pretty much fell out of favor by the 1960’s because plastic was much cheaper and easier to use.

Don’t confuse chocolate molds with vintage ice cream molds. You can tell the difference pretty easily because ice cream molds are usually made of pewter and do not have a lot of detail like the chocolate mold. Many antique molds are a work of art and highly detailed. These vintage molds are becoming highly collectible and but are still affordable to collect. A small mold like an egg may be $10 but a large mold of a political figure or highly detailed figure can bring $1000! If you use your molds it is very important to clean the molds and let them thoroughly dry at least a day before using. Moisture and humidity can cause the chocolate to stick to the molds. Of course, you can always eat your mistakes! Happy Collecting!