Posted 12 years ago
Jacqui1101
(1 item)
I came across this Antique Silver Footed Tray at an estate sale. It weighs approximately 10 lbs. I see the stamping, but, have not been able to determine the origin. Is there anyone here who may recognize this style and the stamps that can help me out?
Hi, I can't see the hallmarks well enough to work on it. Any chance of getting a better photo of hallmarks? Thanks.
Let's try this one. I put a new picture in with the stamps in natural light. That was the closest I could get without it going blurry unfortunately. Thank you for your help!
I am thinking it is Sheridan, but, I am not 100% sure.
Hi, Jacqui! Great photo! Thanks!
A good hypothesis!, and a GREAT UNSOLVED MYSTERY! I haven’t found a match yet.
The following two sets of hallmarks show significant points of both similarity with and difference from the hallmarks on your tray. Both of the following firms are American; however, I'm not sure that this is American.
Look at the last hallmark on your tray. I really can’t see very well on this laptop, though your new photo is excellent! The letter in the last hallmark looks a bit like a “Cloister Black” letter “E”, though I can’t see it clearly enough to tell for sure.(See font gallery in the link directly below.) Look at the hallmark between the crown and the “S”. Is that an “R”, and “N”, an “A”, or an “H”? Or could it be a pictorial symbol, instead? I can’t see it clearly.
http://www.fontscape.com/explore?CIV
Yes, your hallmarks resemble the hallmarks of the Sheridan Silver Co. of Taunton, MA. (BTW, Sheridan produced silver plated wares only.) The ‘spokes’ (laugh loudly here!) of your hallmark crown have stars on top but more importantly, your spokes are articulated like an earthworm’s body. I found many Sheridan hallmarks with ‘ball’ shaped terminals on the spokes, and some star-like finials, but I have not seen any Sheridan crowns terminals just like yours, or any Sheridan spokes that are articulated like an earthworm, as yours are. I’ve found a number of slight variations in Sheridan hallmarks, so I suppose it’s possible that your hallmark is Sheridan’s. However, on most of the hallmarks I’ve seen, Sheridan’s three symbols each appear in a cartouche shaped like a flat-bottomed window with a barrel arch atop it. (Or, you might call it an upside down shield? ; )) In Sheridan’s hallmark, the cartouches are all conjoined at the side. In your hallmark, you have four symbols, three of which appear in rectangular cartouches, and these touch only at the bottom corners. Your hallmarks also appear on an ‘arc’. Sheridan’s are flush with a horizontal margin. The crown in your hallmark does not appear in a cartouche. Here are some images of Sheridan hallmarks. The second link contains an error. A set of Sheffield Silver Co.’s hallmarks appear on this page also. The Sheridan hallmark symbols are crown, an “S”, and a shield. The Sheffield hallmark symbols are crown, an “S”, and a head. The “S” in your hallmarks is similar to the “S” in both Sheridan’s and Sheffield’s hallmarks.
http://www.silvercollection.it/352SHERIDANBIS.jpg
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=sheridan+silver+co&qpvt=sheridan+silver+co&FORM=IGRE
Have a look at the mark from Sheffield Silver Co. of Brooklyn (1919-1974). (Sheffield produced mainly silverplated hollow wares, and some little sterling.) There’s a crown with globe terminals on the spoke instead of star terminals. The crown spokes in Sheffield are not articulated like an earthworm. The Sheffield “S” that might be a match to your “S”. However, neither of the end cartouches in your hallmark corresponds to the Sheffield Silver Co.’s hallmarks, and your hallmark doesn’t have the head-in-profile found in Sheffield’s marks. Moreover, there are no cartouches in the images I’ve seen thus far of Sheffield’s hallmarks. Now, the firm was absorbed by Reed & Barton, so I looked for your hallmark among the various Reed & Barton hallmarks. Your hallmarks don’t resemble any of the Reed & Barton hallmarks I found on http://www.925-1000.com or in Dorothy Rainwater’s ”Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers”, so I don't think that your hallmark is a mixed mark that resulted from Reed & Barton absorbing Sheffield.
http://www.925-1000.com/americansilver_S.html
So I think we need to continue the search!
I was looking at all the fonts, and it looks like the S comes from the Monotype Engravers Old English, Engravers' Old English (BT) or Old English (Monotype). I am basing that on the little curve at the bottom of the line that goes diagonal on the S. I think that 2nd symbol may be an H?
I have been all over all the pages with designs and cannot find these stamps at all! Spent 3 hours looking at it last night and another 3 tonight! lol. I cannot find any maker with that S design. I'm going to also start searching all the trays on eBay.
What do you think of that REQ after the cartouches?
Hi, Jacqui! You have a good eye.
I thought that your 'REQ' was rather a "REG" for 'Registered'. I was eager to know what the mark that the cartouches partially overstrike says. I couldn't make heads or tales of that overstruck mark. I thought that we'd need to take our clues from the marks we could read to find the silversmith or silver firm.
Now, about the fonts. Sorry, I should have warned you that sometimes an artist will mix elements of a style, so I wouldn't worry too much about being absolutely consistent. When I was looking at the mark that is probably either an "E" or a "G", but might also be an "F", I thought it was perhaps an Old English font. (All of these fonts are considered "Gothic", by the way, in case you encounter a verbal description of this mark rather than a photographic or pictorial image.) Anyway, this hallmark seems to have at least two different fonts in the letter marks. If the 'E/F/G' mark is not the same font as the "S" mark, then this hallmark has three different fonts. I am fascinated by that 'H' hallmark. FYI, I understand your frustration. I looked on the internet in my favorite places and also consulted Dorothy Rainwater. I looked through the entire Rainwater, just in case this firm had been assumed or purchased by one of the larger firms. I consulted book and internet 'unidentified' marks. This is going to be a hard one. I have a suggestion about ebay. If you go into the Community Forum, and select "Antiques", you can post your question to the forum. There are some very smart silver collectors who visit that site. As for your looking for all the trays on ebay, that's a good idea, too!
FYI, so you don't need to consult them if you've not already, I've consulted Rainwater, 925-1000, Silvercollection, Sterling Flatware Fashions (GREAT SITE!!!), some unidentified mark forums, and Google images. I have made a pretty thorough first pass at "S" silver firms, made a good attempt at 'E' and 'G', and now I'm going to revisit 'E' and 'G', and also try 'F'.
I'll let you know as soon as I find something. Thanks for sharing this fun puzzle with us!
Thank you SO much for lookin into all those sites! I greatly appreciate your help! I love to do research, and this is actually a new realm to me, lol. So, while I am a bit frustrated, the adrenaline is pumping in the hunt! lol. I didn't think that the maker would use multiple fonts, those tricksters!
I will definitely visit those community forums with eBay and see if anyone has seen it before :)
I look forward to hearing more back from you! If I find anything out, I'll be posting here too!
And, sorry, didn't address the REQ = REG. I was looking it a little more and thought it may have been a G because the top of the loop coming down was lighter. Looked like there was a break, so, you did confirm that for me. Thanks!
Thanks much for your kind words, Jacqui! Yes, we will have a bit of a fun hunt on this project. See you soon!
Thank you for the suggestion of going to the community forums on eBay. Mystery has been solved! The try is from the Birmingham Silver Co. That's what the letters are, B S Co, little o in the last cartouche. The third one down here:
http://www.silvercollection.it/AMERICANSILVERPLATEMARKSBDUE.HTML
I wish I knew what the lettering was above though, because I know that last letter isn't an R! But, when I went on eBay to look at the trays for Birmingham Silver, I found my exact tray. So, that kind of sealed it I think!
Thank you again!
Jacqui
Super, Jacqui! Hooray!!!
So the 'H' was really a "B"! No, I couldn't see that, and that's what would have solved it last night. I'm going to print the hallmarks that you've found and insert them into my Rainwater reference guide. Thank you!!! Birmingham and its predecessor, Goldfeder Silverware Co., are both listed in Rainwater, but neither listed hallmark was an exact match for your hallmark. Indeed, there are some differences between your hallmark and the hallmark you found in silvercollection.com, but they are small and I think that the hallmark was just tweaked a bit here. You've got a match! Did they recognize this hallmark in the ebay forum? Or did you have to search the trays on ebay to get the lead? Great work, Jacqui!
Foiled by a 'non-H'! : )
Now, on to the mystery overstruck mark. I can't read a word of it, and since I couldn't discern the "B" but thought that it might be an 'H', I am mighty hesitant here. [No way I would have guessed 'B' from the image on my screen! : ) ] Here are some words I've seen struck on Birmingham and Goldfeder silver:
"BIRMINGHAM SILVER"
"SILVER ON COPPER"
"SHEFFIELD ON COPPER"
I wonder if it could be something like 'Tripleplate' or 'Tripleplated' or 'Quadruple Plate' or 'Quadruple Plated' or 'White Metal' or 'EPNS' or 'Warranted' or 'MGF CO.' - or some such designation? Also, I wonder if it could be the name of a store or jewlers that ordered this tray for its resale.