www.925-1000.com

I've had no success so far identifying this sterling flatware service for eight locally (Edmonton, Alberta).
And I'll be grateful for any assistance. I hope these two photos will be acceptable and helpful:
<http://photoblog.com/grady>
I've assumed Birmingham.
The middle hallmark is a puzzle to me. Under a jeweller's loupe it's a five-pointed leaf (no stem) flat based. And indented is a rather plain capital E.
The lion passant is interesting. It's quite crude; or possibly just struck with a very worn die.
Best guess: this came from England to Montreal as a wedding gift (1900-1910).
I'd particularly like to know the pattern name and year of manufacture (or of assay).

Thanks in advance for any help.
Grady (newly minted member today)

Hi Grady,

Welcome to the Forum.

I'm afraid your images cannot be seen. Have a read of this tutorial: How to Add Images and remember to use the preview button.

You also may like to read this topic: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=19623

Trev.

Trev:

I have a triple handicap: dumb as a bag of hammers wrt IT, photography, and sterling flatware.
I've conformed with your rule against over-large image files by sending the photoblog link.
Are you unable to see the images there?
Hoping for the best,
Grady

No, it's Canadian. P.W. Ellis & Co., Toronto, Ontario, CA [Anchor, E on maple leaf, Lion]

Resized on tinypic.com by selecting the message board option. After the image was selected via the browse selection, it was just a matter of clicking on upload and then cutting there and pasting here the IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards under the heading Grab Your Tag.

Pattern is Westminster, can't help with the introduction date, but a number of similar simple threaded patterns were introduced by American manufacturers around 1910-20 - it does appear in a 1922 Ellis Bros. catalog.

Canadian silver mark section: http://www.925-1000.com/canadiansilver_01.html

~Cheryl

silverly & salmoned:

Thank you very much for your generous help.

P. W. Ellis: no doubt !
Their catalogue: <http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22Commercial+catalogs%22>
The hallmarks on "my" sterling appear on the catalogue cover, as well as on page 115.

My guess is that Ellis was an importer/wholesaler rather than manufacturer. And I'm guessing that their hallmarks were legitimised by their sterling having been made in England and assayed in Birmingham.
Does that make sense?
If so, I have now only to track down the English manufacturer.

Again: many thanks.
grady

You also may like to read this topic: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=19623

Trev.

Try reading the link!: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=19623


Trev.

Ellis is pretty well documented as a manufacturer of silver wares, if your pieces were produced and assayed in Birmingham, then they would bear the proper British hallmarks rather than the Ellis trademark.

~Cheryl

@ Trev:

Thank you very much, for both your patience and your generous help.
I expect you noticed that the Ellis catalogue you cited <http://www.archive.org/details/ellisgif ... 00elliuoft (1922)>
clearly identifies my pattern as Westminster (on page 59).

@dragonflywink:
I guess the last remaining question is: who made it? I'll be glad to be proven wrong; but for now my money's on: made in England / assayed in Birmingham.
I've seen that International Silver of New Jersey named a pattern of theirs Westminster; but it has small differences. Others' Westminster pattern is very different- Rogers', for example.
So for now I'm looking for a smaller silversmith in northern England.

Best regards to all.
grady

Hi everyone.

P.W. Ellis was a manufacturer.
Here's a scan from Doris and Peter Unitt's book on Canadian silver.



Pat.