The Early Show

Many Ways To Peel An Apple

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

November 16, 2001 / 8:58 AM EST / CBS

Since the Garden of Eden, apples have been an important crop. On The Saturday Early Show, Contributor Tony Hyman points out that you can store 'em, dry ‘em, make apple pies, apple butter, apple sauce, vinegar,
apple cider, apple wine and liquor.

Unfortunately, apples need to be peeled. The first mechanical peelers were homemade wooden devices, some designed by teen-age boys. Knives were held in one hand while a crank spun the apple. Wooden parers, whether home or factory made, bring $250 up.

Find out about other collectibles described by The Saturday Early Show's Tony Hyman in the Collectibles Archive or visit Tony Hyman's Web site.

If you think you have a collectible worth a lot of cash, send an email to sat@cbsnews.com with "What's It Worth?" in the subject line. Or write to "What's It Worth?" The Saturday Early Show, 514 West 57th St., 6th floor, New York, N.Y. 10019.

A big step in peeler evolution took place in the 1850s with the invention of the cast iron lathe. A spring held the blade so the operator had a free hand to pull off the pared apple and put on a new one. The table clamp made it even more efficient.

Another type was the turntable parer which held apples or peaches stationery while the blade revolved around it. By the end of the century, dozens of companies had offered less complicated, cheaper machines.

This simple turntable parer was a hot seller in 1899 at $4.50 a dozen and are widely available today around $50 each.

Among the more than 300 peeler patents issued since 1803 was one for “The
Lightning,” which its inventor claimed was the fasted peach and apple parer in existence. It's an interesting mechanism, but Tony says he hasn’t been able to make it peel.

A goodly number of other wooden or iron parers can bring more than $300 each, so I urge you to get free expert advice from Don Thornton. See information below.

Information and parers provided by Don Thornton, author of "Apple Parers" © 1997, the definitive, 240-page book on history of apple parers as a whole and individual machines in particular, along with a detailed price guide. Featuring more than 550 photos by Robert S. Arnold, "Apple Parers" is available from Thornton House, P.O. Box 57, Moss Beach, CA 94038. Cost: $55 plus $5 shipping. California residents, please add appropriate sales tax. Don also has a book on eggbeaters. For more information, go to www.thorntonhouse.com.

To buy, sell, or obtain information about your apple parer or egg beater, you also may wrie Don at don@thorntonhouse.com.