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Unknown 3 tine fork with passant bear mark

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 1:25 am
by Momisajob2
What type of fork is this used for. I thought maybe strawberry fork? It has a mark on the back that at first I thought was a lion, but now think it's a bear. I think the other two stamps are R and P or B and P

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Re: Unknown 3 tine fork with passant bear mark

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 1:38 pm
by Traintime
Re. the use...see link and note the cutting blade type edge on pastry/pie forks: https://www.sterlingflatwarefashions.co ... Forks.html

Re: Unknown 3 tine fork with passant bear mark

Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2020 2:35 pm
by Momisajob2
Traintime wrote:Re. the use...see link and note the cutting blade type edge on pastry/pie forks: https://www.sterlingflatwarefashions.co ... Forks.html

Thank you. That's a very interesting page! Thanks.

Would you have any idea on maker or pattern?

Re: Unknown 3 tine fork with passant bear mark

Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:00 pm
by Traintime
Marks 1 & 2 are likely BP or EP, used to designate electro-plating of a base metal. However, being set in separate punches with crude shapes, suggests they might have been intended to be used like pseudo marks which are often shifted around with others. BP could also suggest Benedict-Proctor of Canada, which was a subsidiary of Benedict M.M. who did employ a lion in some of their marks. But if so, we would expect this to have been already documented somewhere.
For mark 3, pretty sure it's a lion as bears don't trail long tails. That said, pseudomarks are a problem as they can be alterations of known marks or creations by subcontractors. The closest similar mark I could find was a single element (octagon w/lion) in a group of marks for Blankinton: https://www.sterlingflatwarefashions.co ... /SPB2.html
I would also point out that the firm of Arthur Krupp used a walking bear mark and also (1918-35 era) an octagonal cartouche around their name mark. It wouldn't be too hard for a competitor to steal the ideas and combine them using a lion to replace the bear. To blatantly borrow from Dickensian misquotations, "Ours is a competitive business".
As to pattern, their really is none. The shape is a fairly common base, and with no embellishment here so I would just revert to "plain point" as a description. If the original set came boxed, then someone might be listing a sample which could contain the actual maker or retailer information on the inside of the lid.