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I acquired a silverplate coffeepot from Jame Jays, perhaps made around the late 1890s. I am having trouble identifying the mark at the bottom of the pot. It is a square with an X or cross inside. It looks similar to the Edinburgh import mark, but that is all I could find. Any help or information on the production would be much appreciated. There are no other marks on the item that I could find.

Bottom of the pot:


Image of pot:

It's not a coffee pot, it is a chocolate pot.

Not sure about the X, will leave to others more knowledgeable to reply.

Ah yes, that makes more sense. I think I confused it with some Arabic coffee pots I have seen with a side handle and spout.

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

To my knowledge, James Jay were retailer silversmiths, jewellers and pawnbrokers only, I'm not aware that they have any manufacturing facilities for producing holloware, such as your chocolate pot. The origin of your pot is likely with one of the Sheffield or Birmingham manufacturers who would, depending on the size of the order, apply the retailer's mark only. Such marking would ensure that purchaser of say, a teapot, would return to that establishment for a perfect match when they wanted to add a milk jug and sugar bowl, and not shop around at other stores.

The 'Cross' mark would identify the workman who actually made the item and was stuck so that he was paid, and to identify him in the event of any problem with the item.

Your dating is accurate. James Jay, who were established prior to 1865 at 366, Essex Street, purchased the business, including the pledges, stock and remainder of the lease, at auction, of Richard Attenborough's huge pawnbroking business located at 142 & 144, Oxford Street, London, for the sum of £24,000 in 1887.

James Jay appears to have died in the mid 1890's, and the firm was continued by his nephew, James Charles Jay, who appears to have run the Oxford Street premises, and Robert William Jay, who ran the Essex Street premises. They became a limited liability company on the 4th May 1897, and it is likely that this event would be reflected in their mark.

Trev.

Thank you for this great information. Are there any resources that list the workman marks, or is that not typically known?

To my knowledge the marks that identity those workmen were unfortunately never recorded.

Trev.