Posted 13 years ago
filmnet
(476 items)
Don't know about these but they fit in the boxes correctly, saved in each original boxes, with sterling silver and coin silver spoons from 1850s. My wifes family had many girls born 1850-1910 and all silver was saved with the antiques posted here. The girls were from Salem Ma and a lot of their coin silverware is from silversmiths around Salem 1850-1890. These are not marked and possibly not sterling i don't know , Baby spoons maybe?
Just found an advertisement from them 1871-1890
Hi, filmnet! Just recognized the strawberry pattern. This pattern was made by "Knowles & Ladd", a fine American silversmith firm. They called it "Queen".
At this point, if you cannot find a Knowles & Ladd hallmark on the ladle, I am thinking that perhaps this ladle was made by Knowles & Ladd (or other firm after Knowles & Ladd relinquished the firm) but imprinted with the "A. SKINNER" hallmark for resale in Skinner's jewelry store. Much silver from this age was sold in jewelry stores. A good example of this kind of relationship can be seen in the following. MERIDEN BRITANNIA COMPANY (Meriden, CT) sold some of its sterling at the then prestigious Philadelphia (I think Philly) jewelry store Bailey Banks & Biddle.* (It might not have then been called "Bailey Banks & Biddle", for it's undergone several name changes since it was first founded. FYI, follows a link to the company history:
http://www.baileybanksandbiddle.com/category/search/learning-center/116?id=lc_aboutus
Note that the U.S. Government judged Bailey fine enough to entrust them with the commission to update the Great Seal of the United States.) The antique Meriden sterling bowl I saw had both Meriden's bird symbol with sterling hallmarks and Bailey's own hallmark/s. I've also seen countless vintage/antique Limoges porcelain dishes marked in the same “dual” fashion. Consider the possibility of silver being made by one firm/man and then being sold to a jeweler for sale in his store, and that the silver was then sold with only the jeweler’s hallmark. If you can’t find a hallmark for Knowles & Ladd on the ladle – or other ‘non-Skinner mark’, it might be the case that Skinner purchased this ladle already marked with his own “A. SKINNER” hallmark under this kind of relationship. Do you find a hallmark for Knowles & Ladd on the ladle?
Here are some Knowles hallmarks. Note in the excellent first link that Knowles & Ladd operated from 1864-1875. You will often see the lion with "K"-marked oval shield on coin silver spoons. Your ladle is not a spoon, however, it might have one of these hallmarks.
http://sterlingflatwarefashions.com/Silversmiths/SilversmithsK4.html
http://www.silvercollection.it/AMERICANSILVERMARKSK.html
I found the pattern ID in "American Silver Flatware, 1837-1910" by Noel D. Turner, first edition, Cranbury, NJ: A.S. Barnes and Co., 1972, p.104. It is there called “Queen”. On the following link of Sterling Flatware Fashions, I found the same pattern under two different firm names, i.e., Knowles & Ladd, and “Also” J.B. & S.M. Knowles. The SFF link indicates a date of 1870 for the pattern.
http://sterlingflatwarefashions.com/Patterns/KnowlesLadd.html
Dorothy T. Rainwater indicates the following on p.132 of her “Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers”, Dorothy Rainwater et alia, 5th edition, Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2004: The lion with oval shield bearing a “K” appears on coin silver spoons. Note that SSF records another hallmark just like this lion/”K” shield, only the second one also includes the label “STERLING”. Rainwater includes yet another hallmark in her treatment of Knowles, but I haven’t found an image of this last one during a quick internet search, so I have to describe it to you instead. It includes the underscored words “RED CROSS”, followed by “(U. S. Design Patent No. 38-096, April 15, 1902 for spoons)”.
Another scenario presents itself. Sometimes patterns were copied by rival firms. Some lawsuits resulted from this kind of design infringement. I’ve found no indication that Skinner or Knowles ever copied anyone’s work, but I am just vocalizing a possible scenario.
Another scenario. In 1905 the J.B. & S.M. Knowles plant was leased to Mauser Mfg. Co., and notice was given in trade journals that all items hitherto made at the Knowles plant would now be made by the Mauser Mfg. Co. Follow some Mauser hallmarks I found by a very quick search:
http://www.silvercollection.it/AMERICANSILVERMARKSMN.html
Now suppose that Mauser continued to make “Queen” with the original design on the spoon’s “top” side, but either without any hallmarks on the reverse or with marks on the reverse that you’ve yet to find.
I suppose we could go one for a long time enumerating new possible scenarios, but I think I’m getting too far left field here!!! I am also writing some terrible sentences! My head is swimming, so I’ll close for tonight. I was just so excited when I found the strawberry pattern in Turner’s book, and I had to tell you right away. The rest just happened. Hope this afternoon's account makes some sense. : ) miKKo