help with item

[frank merg]

can anyone tell me anything about this peice
i belive its a place card holder date 1850-1870
cant seem to find info on the tc with the 8c.
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[2209patrick]

Your silverplate piece was made by Walker & Hall, Sheffield, England.
They used many different marks. This particular mark was used from 1861 to 1890.
The TC mark is probably the mark of the retailer who sold it.

Regards,
Pat.

[paulh]

This is a bit of an anomaly. As Pat correctly says, the flag logo along with “Walker & Hall, Sheffield” was struck on Walker and Hall pieces between 1861 and 1890. However, the “G” in the shield below the flag is the date letter for 1956, at which time the words “Made in England should appear below the word “Sheffield”. Looking closely at the picture it does seem that there is also a mark which has been overstamped.

The engraving on the face of the menu holder is for “Norwegian American Lines”. They were a leading carrier between Scandinavia and the U.S.A throughout the major migration years of the 20th century. Perhaps an investigation into their history might throw more light onto the mystery. I do know that with large orders for shipping lines and hotels an excess was held in stock by Walker & Hall to replace losses, but 1890 to 1956 is an awful long time to keep a stock of a particular product.

As to the T&C mark, the first name that comes to mind is Tiffany & Co, but I have no record of W & H making for Tiffany. It was more usual for the shipping lines to deal directly with the manufacture.

Sorry to add more elements to your mystery, but I hope I have helped in some way.

Paul.