Help with idying possible Sheffield silverplated spoon

[Dafydd]

Hi,

I was hoping someone would recognise this hallmark on a silverplated spoon I'm working on. I'm a student at Lincoln university conservation and I've been given this spoon to treat and part of which is researching its history for a report.

I've checked a few online lists, but have hit a bit of a dead end. From the research I've done, it appears to have been manufactured in Sheffield and before 1895, but the initials don't seem to match any company names I can find.

If anyone could shed some light on this I'd really appreciate it, or point me in the direction of someone who may be able to help.

Thanks!

[Dafydd]

sorry, image didn't work first time.

[AG2012]

Hi,
From left to right:
A stands for second quality plating (the first, highest quality, i.e. grams of pure silver used for electroplating was A1).
The crown was discontinued on silver-plate some time in late 19th century because of confusion with Sheffield Assay Office sterling mark.
The maker is D&S
EP in a shield stands for Electro Plated.
I am sure you will get more detailed info from other members of the forum.
Regards

[Dafydd]

thanks, that confirms what I've been able to find out which helps.
I had thought that the crown was still used on plated objects from Sheffield until they switched to a rose, and that it was the crown above the EP that had been banned.

Any thoughts on who D&S might be?

[Essexboy Fisher]

Hello, you most likely need to look for a "D" & "Son or Sons" now. That could be a possibility of several makers. "James Dixon" and "Son/Sons" is one that comes to the fore. That maker of huge amounts of electroplated cutlery is usually easily recognised with the presence of a pictorial "bugle" mark, but that was not registered until the early 1880's and they had been in business for a long time before that.
The banning of the use of the crown mark on electroplated items was to stop the practice of items "pretending" to be Sheffield silver and damaging the Sheffield silversmithing business.
Fishless

[Dafydd]

that's great thanks very much.
It seems there were a few JD and Sons around, but almost no D and Sons