Derby Knife rest, unusual mark ?

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chicon
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:41 am

Derby Knife rest, unusual mark ?

Post by chicon »

Hello to all !

What a great Forum! There's so much to learn.

My question : I have some knife rests with only the word ' DERBY' stamped on it. I don't know where they come from.

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[post edited by moderator to show images - please embed images in future posts]

I haven't seen any mark the same as this one; filed under Derby Silver & co. Could someone help me?

Thanks and have a good day.

Chicon
Traintime
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Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Derby Knife rest, unusual mark ?

Post by Traintime »

The letters are essentially the same as those found in the upper-arc of the half circle mark used by International Silver Company for their "Derby Silver Plate Company" brand. Derby Silver Company became part of this consortium and the mark gradually adds the word Plate to the name...through consolidation, rationalization, and plant closures many of the original company identities simply become trademark names, making it hard to know exactly where an item was produced. An old corporate trick to protect an outdated subsidiary's trademark status is to stamp the name on a small item or component, thus having a legitimate way to block any usurpers from moving in to steal the name while it still has some meaning. The stamping may stop many years after the original plant has ceased to exist.
chicon
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:41 am

Re: Derby Knife rest, unusual mark ?

Post by chicon »

Thank you very much for your very complete and interesting answer.
Thus, I may consider these items coming from Derby & Co.
May I ask you how to know if they are silverplated or stirling ? I'm a beginner !

Have a good day

PS : I'll try better for the pictures next time.
Traintime
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Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Derby Knife rest, unusual mark ?

Post by Traintime »

I couldn't find a listed match or like item to eliminate any uncertainty on the origin of your knife rest, but there's got to be one out there somewhere...sometimes you have to re-check later and there it is.
Sterling is almost always marked as it pays to advertise with a guarantee of the minimun fineness. Other grade markings may differ (you can find lots of info on this site) but they are added too as a norm. It may not be easy to spot a mark, but with the help of a loupe (10x magnification, but go higher if you're buying one) and a bit of patience you can see what everyone else missed.
No one will swear by smell, but a powerful garlic like odor can indicate the presence of silver. However, some plated items can give off this smell too. A magnet can only tell you if iron is present, as it would be in some base metals used for silverplate. A strong positive attraction would say not sterling, but no reaction tells you nothing...copper, brass, and other base metals used in plated wares don't show any attraction.
If you see mars, base metal might show through...that's silverplate. Green verdigris tends to gather on silverplate due to the presence of copper, but it can sometimes be transferred to sterling just by extended contact during storage...you'll need to look closer. Flaking or chipping can occur at spots in silverplate as another indicater. Weight is also tricky...even though most sterling versions of the same size item are usually thinner and lighter, this is not always true and some silver items have pitch or cement added to give stability, strength or weight. The more pieces you handle, the better you get...but even the best can be fooled. If it does not feel right, walk away.
Traintime
contributor
Posts: 2778
Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Derby Knife rest, unusual mark ?

Post by Traintime »

There a whole lot more but here's something to watch...if the silver surface gives off a rainbow like color by angling it, you're probably looking at silverplate. Sterling tends to a have a dead look at the surface, not a carnivalesque cavalcade of colors.
chicon
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:41 am

Re: Derby Knife rest, unusual mark ?

Post by chicon »

Thank you very much for this very interesting answer.

As you say, there's no reason not to mark 'sterling' on the item, so I guess it's plated. And yes also, I'll continue looking a bit every where to see maybe the same.
No iron in these.

I don't understand " If you see mars, base metal might show through" ????

I'm cleaning silver items since before christmas, so I'm getting to see now good silverplate from cheap. That's one step done!

Thanks and have a good day.
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