Hello all:
I just recently purchased a fish server with the mark "R.B. & Co. A1" on the back. The design on the blade is very much in the Aesthetic movement pattern and appears to be original to the piece, so it would date to the late 1870's or the 1880's.
At first I thought this was Rogers & Bros., but I cannot find a mark in my source books that matches this. Also, I noted in my version of Rainwater that Reed & Barton had a separate company, Reed Barton & Co., that was established during the same time period as my piece, for the purpose of making plated wares. I have seen one mark for this company, and it is "REED, BARTON & CO.", but was wondering whether for smaller pieces, they may have used an abbreviated mark.
Can anyone help me with this? I can do photos if needed, but the mark is pretty straightforward.