Posted 3 years ago
ruby3kids
(1 item)
Tiffany HH Shell and Thread with custom addition tine. Has anyone seen this before where a Tiffany piece has been altered? Does anyone recognize the markings of the tine maker? Made in England...
Found in my grandmother's belongings but where does it belong? Tiffany & Co? | ||
| English Silver11 of 184 |  |  |
Hi, ruby3kids. :-)
It's probably some kind of serving piece, such as a sardine fork, or perhaps an hors d'oeuvres fork, e.g.:
https://www.replacements.com/silver-h-h-curtis-and-co-hcu7-sterling-large-solid-tined-sardine-serving-fork/p/115061371
FYI, Replacements has a pattern called Shell & Thread, but it doesn't looks quite like yours:
https://www.replacements.com/silver-tiffany-and-co-silver-shell-and-thread-sterling-1905/c/104499
Hi again, ruby3kids. :-)
Replacements has an identification tool that allows you to search their site using a photo of your piece:
https://www.replacements.com/search-by-image/info
I used it, and it came back with Whittier:
https://www.replacements.com/silver-tiffany-and-co-silver-whittier-silverplate-1907/c/104511
I don't see a picture of your five tine fork in the Whittier (Silverplate, 1907) Tiffany & Co. listing at Replacements, but that may be only because nobody has submitted a picture of that particular piece.
ruby3kids, A few more things:
The Replacements listing for the Whittier (Silverplate, 1907) by Tiffany & CO SILVER pattern does show some individual place setting fish forks with the more usual four tines:
https://www.replacements.com/silver-tiffany-and-co-silver-whittier-silverplate-1907-individual-solid-fish-fork/p/35410191
https://www.replacements.com/silver-tiffany-and-co-silver-whittier-silverplate-1907-individual-solid-variant-fish-fork/p/85227341
However, they also show a drawing for a "Fish Serving Fork with Stainless Tines HC Whittier (Silverplate, 1907) by Tiffany & CO SILVER" with five tines:
https://www.replacements.com/silver-tiffany-and-co-silver-whittier-silverplate-1907-fish-serving-fork-with-stainless-tines-hc/p/57981731
It's just a drawing, but it makes reference to the piece having stainless tines. This may be why your piece has decoration just above the tines. It serves as a kind of 'point of demarcation' between the silverplate of the fork body and the stainless tines.
Combined with the slight color difference between the fork body and the tines, it might lead somebody to believe that the piece had been altered.
You didn't give any dimensions for your fork, but an individual place setting fork in that pattern might be anywhere from 5 7/8 inches to 7 7/8 inches long, whereas the fish serving fork would be anywhere from 10 to 12 inches.
OK, I think I've taken this about as far as I can.
A reference for the various parts of a fork:
https://www.homenish.com/parts-of-a-fork/
With regard to the engraved information on the neck of your fork, I figure you've already worked out that the text on the neck reads, "TIFFANY & CO. E.P."
With regard to the engraved information above the root of the fork, as best as I can make out, it's probably some flavor of a Gothic font, and it probably reads:
Corbell & Co. Ltd.
Made in England
https://www.dafont.com/mtheme.php?id=4
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any other pieces with that exact inscription. There is a Corbell & Co. outfit that deals in silver:
*snip*
Corbell & Company was established in London, England, in 1946. In 1951 Arthur Corbell moved to the United States and established Corbell & Company in Los Angeles. During the following years, the company expanded its activity throughout the United States, exhibiting its wide variety of merchandise in showrooms in Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Chicago and San Francisco, which were in addition to the headquarters in Los Angeles. Howard White purchased the company from Arthur Corbell in the fall of 2001 after moving to Los Angeles from England where he had been in the antique and reproduction hollowware business for over twenty-five years.
*snip*
http://www.silvercollection.it/electroplatesilvercdue.html
*snip*
Corbell & Co.
Founded in London in 1946, moved to U.S. in 1951, still working
Scottsdale, AZ
USA
*snip*
https://www.925-1000.com/silverplate_C2.html
https://www.corbellsilver.com/pages/About-Us.html
What you could try is to contact Replacements, give them pictures of your piece, and see if they can add any more information to what we've already learned:
https://www.replacements.com/identify/silver
You'd actually be doing everybody a favor, because then Replacements will have an actual picture of a Whittier serving fork.
While Replacements is indeed a for-profit organization, many collectors use it as a reference.
You could also contact Corbell Silver:
https://www.corbellsilver.com/pages/Contact-Us.html
@keramikos
thank you so much for this additional information. I found it very helpful!
ruby3kids, You're welcome. :-)
Could you do us (Collectors Weekly Show & Tell) a return favor, and mark your post "Mystery Solved?"
That is, if you're satisfied that the mystery is indeed solved. Perhaps you'll want to wait until you get some expert confirmation from Replacements or Corbell Silver.
Good luck. :-)