In my opinion, the engraving on this salt is definitely not contemporary, but rather from the middle of the 19th Century, perhaps even as late as the 1880s or '90s. .
There is little doubt that the WHO mark is indeed, as buckler suggests, that of William Henry Osborn. It is highly unlikely, however, that Osborn was the actual maker of this fork. Careful examination of the mark reveals that it has been struck over that of another, probably the mark of one of the s...
In response to Trev's hope that the missing Smallworkers' Register, 1739-1758, might one day turn up, I have to point out that John Culme investigated this problem eight or nine years ago and published his findings in 'Trade of fancy: new findings from eighteenth century London,' published The Silve...
The initials WM on these pieces are those of one of the workmen or workshop heads at Atkin Brothers. As items like this during their making typically passed through many hands in big factories (and Atkin Brothers was then certainly one of the largest), such initials ensured that the actual maker and...
Hello Rod Although A.J. Croker entered a maker's mark at the London Assay Office for use on articles of gold and silver he may not have been an actual worker in precious metals except, perhaps, in a very small way. Culme suggests as much by describing him as a violin chin rest maker. This means that...