Antique Pie Wheels

Pennsylvania Pie Wheels

To achieve such a tantalizing culinary masterpiece as a raisin-filled Pennsylvania Dutch strip pie, where the delicate lacy top crust is formed by interweaving 3/4 inch strips of dough, the edges of which are cut in a zigzag fashion, only one extra tool needed - a pie wheel, alias a pie rimmer, pie crimper, or pastry cutter.

This appliance besides adding an extra touch "just for nice", was used to seal the edges of the pie dough, make air vents to prevent spilling over, and place special marks on the upper crust to readily indentify the contents. Of course an ordinary knife or fork might be used for the same end, but a pie wheel is certainly more exciting to work with.

In pre-commercial bakery days, the pie wheel was a rather common household gadget often homemade or produced by the local blacksmith or artificer. They appear in numerous varieties. Often an old copper one cent piece was used for the wheel. Teeth were cut or filed into it and after drilling the center, it was fitted with a wooden handle.

Brass, copper, iron or various combinations of these metals were commonly used. Occasionally one finds pewter and tin wheels. These were not as durable as the brass ones. The heavier, older, handmade wheels are obviously of the greater interest and the most value. The later, lighter, machine-stamped ones quickly lose their appeal in the presence of the thicker wheels. Fortunate indeed is the collector with marked or dated crimpers. These shed light not only on correct age but on individual craftsmen and the area of manufacture.

Those marked "P.D." indicated Peter Derr, a rather well known metal worker from the Lebanon Valley. His active period was 1830-1860. From the same area, "B.L.S." the mark of Benjamin L. Sebastian, identifies another blacksmith.

Lechner and stump, near Sheridan, Pa., patented a double-wheel contraption on Sept. 11, 1866. The parts were separately cast and the handles turned on a lath. This company apparently ran its business up to the late 1880s, when it ceased production.

These wheels seem to have enjoyed a fair popularity as they are still found scattered around the countryside. While their original price was high for its time, they sell at an even better rate today.