Help with manufacturer and pattern ID

[maceo]

I have some random pieces with this mark and pattern but cannot match it. Anybody recognize this? The piece in the photos is an ice tea spoon, 7 7/16" long. Thanks for looking.



http://www.nationalequipsales.com/forumpost3.jpg
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(admin photo edit - images too large - link only - see Posting Requirements )

[dognose]

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

Such pieces without obvious maker's marks are often to be found, on the face of it, it seems very strange that someone should make a reasonable quality product, mark it as sterling, but then apparantly deliberately avoid placing their name to the product.

Over the years I've developed a personal theory on the origin of such pieces, but it's only my own thoughts with litte to back it up. I think such pieces are what is known in various trades as 'Premiums'. The idea of 'Premiums' is that a manufacturer will make a special offer to boost sales of certain products, the special offer would be a give-away or an offer of something at a very attractive price. Kelloggs, for example, sold cutlery from the back of their cornflake packets for years, Maxwell House gave away coffee spoons, Colmans offered mustard pots, etc. etc. Such give-aways or special priced offers were 'self-liquidators', Kelloggs would make no profit from the cutlery sales, but would be rewarded with repeat sales as customers built up sets of cutlery and flatware at the special prices and thus maintaining customer loyalty.

To make such offers appealing to the customer, flatware had to be sourced at incredibly low prices, in the past, major silverware manufacturers would have turned up their noses at working for next to nothing, but during the 1950's/1960's period cheaper imports from far eastern manufacturers was really starting to bite and the opportunity to keep their factories in production, if only at break-even levels, could not be ignored and the 'Premium' business was welcomed by the manufacturers, but not openly as the last thing they wanted was to devalue the 'bread and butter' lines of their business, thus they produced flatware by the thousands, usually unmarked, they maintained anonymity as the maker whilst keeping their own profile high with their regular marked lines.

It would be great if any members who were working, or had knowledge, of the silver trade at this time could confirm/deny the above as the source of such unmarked pieces.

Trev.

[JLDoggett]

Trev poses an interesting theory. The National Gold and Silver Marketing Act of 1906 said what the minimum alloy of a marked piece had to be, but it wasn't until 1961 that a maker's mark had to accompany the quality mark. I do not recall seeing anything in the Towle die vault without both a maker's mark and quality stamp included, but after 1961 any dies with just a quality mark would have been reworked to include the maker's mark or replaced with a new die.

[dognose]

Just reverting back to the 'premiums', I noticed in Rainwaters that the William Rogers Mfg. Co. used the name 'Cunningham Silver Plate' on premium flatware made for 'Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce'. This appears to be an example of how silverware firms wanted the business, but did not want to be associated with give-away products, for fear it may devalue their own name.

Trev.

[Traintime]

A bit more from a sample...Identified as International Silver Pine Spray Pattern (c.1957-96) designed by Siro O. Toffolon, this example of a cake server with only "Sterling Handle" mark but engraved for one person (note Lary can be used for a first name, but the lack of "&" makes a wedding piece less likely here), could possibly be an awards or presentation type item, rather than a premium (we don't know who actually engraved the name). More to ponder. [Just a note-slightly more elaborate form than a similar Oneida pattern introduced in 1961 around the time of the above mentioned law...and that's how I stumbled upon the true maker and pattern.]