The History Of Ray's Ice Cream
Raymond H. and Bernice Stevens started Ray's Ice Cream in 1958, in Royal Oak, Michigan. They had two sons, Raymond J. and Dale B., who both worked full time for the family business.

Between the years of 1963 and 1979 the business grew at a very good rate. The grandchildren had balanced themselves between work and school, and were able to dedicate some of their time to the business as well.

In 1979, Thomas D. showed his commitment to the company and joined the growing business full time. Then, in 1983, John M. came to the business to lend a hand and offer support.
By 1987 business was so good that the building had to be doubled in size to accommodate all the retail, wholesale and out of state customers. 1997 brought along many new faces and projects, but also tragedy. Raymond H. founder of Ray's Ice Cream passed away.
During the history of the company, the Ray's Ice Cream crew has served and satisfied many of the top country clubs in the country along with some of the top hotels and restaurants. Many fruits, flowers and other forms of molded ice cream have been proudly made for customers for all occasions throughout the year. In addition, Ray's storefront on Coolidge Highway in Royal Oak has a full service fountain for your enjoyment, so don't hesitate to stop by.
For the convenience of our customers, business can now be handled on the internet as well. With this new addition of online service open to everybody, Ray's Ice Cream hopes to meet some new faces and do more for their customers than ever before.

THE HISTORY OF ICE CREAM MOLDS
Most ice cream molds, historically, were made of pewter and were two part, hinged and heavy, to hold the cold temperature longer, yet unmold the ice cream easily.

Most molds are the individual serving size, which varies, but is relatively small (usually 7-10 per quart). Molds have been designed into many different shapes, such as:
  • human figures
  • animals
  • etc.
Some molds achieved their full effect only when accompanied by decorations of composition. With the 20th century came commercialized commemoration of more and more holidays and these decorative molds were made to help people celebrate these events.

There were predominantly three early 20th century American companies who designed and manufactured ice cream molds. They were:
  • Eppelsheimer & Company
  • Krauss
  • Schall & Co.
When manufacturing these molds, they stamped their initials on the ice cream molds along with the style or design number (usually 3-4 digits) of the mold. Krauss claimed their molded hinge construction was exclusive to them, while maintaining that other companies soldered the hinge to the mold. Although there were many other American ice cream mold manufacturers, most were manufactured by the "Big 3".

There were also some prominent European mold makers from France, England, Germany and Austria. One French company in particular marked a double "C" on each mold, while another German mold maker marked "L.G." on theirs. Remember, if you were to look up information on French and German ice cream mold makers, that sizes are given in centimeters and liters. A centimeter is .39 of one inch and a litre is approximately 2.12 pints. Krauss and Jo-Lo are two companies that offer 1930's catalogs with various ice cream molds listed. Entries typically are denoted by their general shape, manufacturers initials and design number, size and price, i.e.

ICE CREAM MOLD, ALLIGATOR, GREAT DETAIL, S-394 . . . . . . . . $80-$90

When looking at ice cream molds, any damage, such as holes, small cracks or hinge damage drastically reduces its value. Pewter is soft and easily damaged, so look for a mold in really good condition if you want it to be of real value. Interesting shapes or "collector cult" subjects, such as Christmas, teddy bears, etc. add value to the molds. Like many things, prices for vintage ice cream molds have risen drastically. So, the next time you are antique shopping and see an old ice cream mold, pick it up, look at the mold design, check for damages, and look up the manufacturer's initials and design number. You may be holding more than an ice cream mold. You may be holding a collector's item!