Sterling? silver salt and pepper shakers

[dianecharlette]

I have S&P shakers marked on the bottom with a crown with a cross on top and the letters c c inside the crown, below that is hexagon with a hand? inside (can't make out what's inside the hexagon) with the letter P below that. Can anyone help me identify this. Thanks.

[admin]

Are they marked sterling?

[dianecharlette]

I had cleaned these up really pretty good and could find no sterling on them, although I was told they are sterling. There are not any worn spots on them where I would be able to tell if they are plated.

[2209patrick]

Maybe Carl Cohr of Denmark?

Pat.

[dianecharlette]

Patrick,

THANK YOU so much!! That is the mark. Did some searching on this. Silver plated and from the 1930's. There are no worn spots on them and they do not have glass liners, which I would have thought would have corroded the metal. I have no knowledge of other than American silver. Do you know what the "P" stands for?

[admin]

P for Plet, Danish for plated.

Regards, Tom

[dianecharlette]

Thank you very much. Wondered if that could be what it meant. I counted the alphabet and P didn't come up to the 1930's, sometimes used for dating. You have been most helpful. I guess(?) if it doesn't say "sterling," it isn't, no matter what country it comes from.

[admin]

...if it doesn't say "sterling," it isn't, no matter what country it comes from.

Not at all true, different systems, different purities all over the world - a walk through the website will acquaint you with many of them.

However, you originally posted this in the American section and American pieces made after ca.1870 will (almost 100% of the time) be marked "sterling" if they are solid silver.

Regards, Tom

[dianecharlette]

Thank you. This has been a real learning experience for me. It never occurred to me that my pieces could be anything other than American. I knew they weren't English. This website is a great resource.

Diane

[Hose_dk]

In dont know who set the mark. But I do not thing that it is Carl M Cohr. Their silverplated is marked ATLA - their trademark for silverplated.

[2209patrick]

There does seem to be disagreement as to whether or not this is Carl Cohr's mark.
I didn't realize that when I posted the picture.

Check out this thread:
viewtopic.php?t=5693

Pat.

[Hose_dk]

I saw the mark today in a shop. In this case it did not contain CCC the c in the midle was an O.
So it is depending of how hard the mark was punched into the item. On top of the crown is a cross on top of a circle.
I even think that the other two that look like CC is not ment to be letters but just part of the ornamentation - parts of the crown.
So maker is not to be found among silver ware factories based upon letters - but upon the entire symbol.

Now silverplated is not by thing - so even though I am danish - I have seen the mark before but I have never payed it any attention. (before today)

[dianecharlette]

After Patrick suggested that my S&P shakers were Carl Cohr, I did a search on the internet. I didn't write it down, but just searched now until I finally found it. This is the site (Danish): http://www.cohrsilver.dk/cohr/index.htm
Scroll down the marks after the history. From this I was able to verify the middle mark as the "torch". As far as the CC, etc. on the top, on one of my pieces, it is clearly stamped an "O," or could be ornamentation as suggested, upon which the cross sits. So I believe these are Cohr silverplate shakers made during the 1930's. Does anyone agree?

Diane

[2209patrick]

Hello. Your link does not work for me.
Don't think the torch mark tells us much, it's just a quality mark.
http://www.cohrsilver.dk/cohr/index.htm

Many firms that export silverplated items to America use different marks on these pieces than they do on items sold in the home country.
A good example is Ellis-Barker of Birmingham England.
I think the set of marks I posted a picture of are marks used on silverplate that was meant for export.
We see these marks quite often in the U.S.

Pat.

[Hose_dk]

The torch is not a mark for Carl M. Cohr This reads:
"Benyttet fra starten af 1930'erne som kvalitetsgaranti for sølvplet (Fællesrepræsentationen for Danmarks Guldsmede). "

"Used from the beginning of 1930ties as a quality garantee for silverplated (Joint representation for the danish goldsmits"

[dianecharlette]

So, does this mean that the torchmark was used by MANY silvermakers in Denmark as a quality mark for silverplate? And that we still have to identify the crown with the CC and the o (or ornamentation) with a cross on top to a maker. Patrick's picture with the upper and middle marks is exactly as what is on my pieces. True, that website did not show that mark as one of Carl Cohr's.

Diane

[Hose_dk]

To the best of my knowledge the torch mark was used by the members of the organisation. I will have a look at my plated silver and return.
As for the crown mark - I am rather sure its is not CMC.

[Hose_dk]

a look at my limited collection of plated silver gave "Cohr ATLA torch"
"the swan, DANA, DFA Torch" "ABSA torch"
so that gave 3 manufactures that used the thorch - any interest in seeing pictures?

[Hose_dk]

And one marked "G.T. + torch" nice mark of torch at this piece (by the way)

[dianecharlette]

So we know that the torch mark was used by various manufacturers for quality silverplate, but we still don't know who the makers symbol identifies. They still look like C's to me, but I agree that the "o" may be ornamentation. I am still looking! Thanks.