Do these blue glass liners come out?

Yes, they lift straight out of the silver frames. Silversmiths designed them this way so servants could wash the glass separately without soaking the silver. Be gentle if the glass feels stuck. Years of spilled salt and dried polish can act like glue between the glass and the metal gallery. Soak it in warm water rather than forcing it.

I have noticed that some of the salt cellars have heavily worn hallmarks on the bottom, while others have very crisp stamps near the rim. Why is this?

Hallmarks wear down based on where the assay office struck them. Marks struck on the base take the brunt of table friction every time someone moves the cellar. Centuries of polishing also rub away the raised silver on the underside. Marks near the rim survive better. Silversmiths sometimes requested stamps on the side to keep the base flat, and these areas avoid the constant table abrasion.

Can I use ordinary salt in them?

You can use standard table salt safely if the cellar has a glass liner. The glass provides a solid barrier against the metal. Never put modern salt straight into an unlined silver bowl unless it has a heavy gilt wash. Raw salt eats into silver and causes deep black pitting over time.

My grandmother always left little silver spoons resting inside her salt cellars between meals, but someone told me this damages the silver over time. Is that correct?

Leaving a spoon resting in a cellar usually does no harm to the spoon itself. The risk comes from the salt residue left inside the bowl. If damp salt touches the silver spoon bowl for months on end, corrosion will start. It is safer to empty the cellars and wash the spoons after a dinner party.

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Small silver bowls or troughs placed along a dining table to hold dry salt. Diners pinched the crystals directly or used tiny spoons before the arrival of modern free-flowing table salt.

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