Sheffield maker marks?

[confused]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help me identify the makers marks and date of this teaspoon please? (What sarted as a bit of fun to try and investigate has ended as a fruitless quest!! I need some help instead of trawling the net hopelessly!)

I believe the spoon is real silver. I can't find any EPNS marks, and it passed the magnet test (although I'm not actually sure how reliable that really is?). I can't find the maker's initials on any sites. I can't decipher what the written letters and numbers near the spoon head actually mean. And I can't work out if the elaborate "S" with the makers marks is a Sheffield place mark or a 1910 date mark?? (I think the spoon looks more recent than that..) All in all, I am not doing well.

Can anyone please enlighten me? It would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

Clare.

[dognose]

Hi Clare,

Welcome to the Forum.

It's silver plated I'm afraid. It was made by a Sheffield firm named Smith Seymour. Their trade mark was a play on their initials, (Ess Ess = SS).

Trev.

[confused]

Hi Trev,

Thank you for the welcome, and for the very swift response. And thank you so much for solving the mystery for me!! It's bloomin' great to know what it is and who made it. Oh well, not a hidden gem found in the cutlery drawer.... Is it because it is silver plated that the magnet test cannot be trusted, then? (Or is the magnet test not that reliable anyway?)

Kind regards,

A very grateful Clare.

[dognose]

Hi Clare,

A magnet would only be attracted to steel, most plated items have a nickel silver alloy or copper for the base metal.

Regards, Trev.

[confused]

Thanks for your knowledge, Trev. Much appreciated.

Kind regards, Clare.