Silver Coffee Pot?

[gb2009]

Hi. So I am new to everything silver. My wife's great aunt passed away and left her this pot. It has sat in the cupboard for five years. I am trying to find out exactly what it is? I have searched the internet to no avail other than to find out it is likely a coffee pot. The only clues I have is in the bottom it is inscribed Charles Harrod New Orleans 1832. The internet mentions that his son was a famous engineer in New Orleans but there is no other mention of Charles. There are also three hallmarks placed into the bottom of the pot but I have been unable to ID them after looking through several websites and books from the library- the first is of a bust of a man, the second is H&G, and the third looks like an eagle?
I apologize if I am in the wrong forum as I do not know if this is American or even silver. However, I know that all of the other pieces she gave away to family members are sterling.....here are some pics. Any information you can give me would be a huge help!

[silverly]

Welcome to the forum. I don't know it for a fact, but it would be very easy to take the mark on this piece to belong to Hyde & Goodrich. Here's a link to a thread that discusses them: http://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... ich#p73875

There was a very prosperous merchant in New Orleans by the name of Charles Harrod that might also be associated with the inscription. This Charles Harrod had a daughter who married in 1832 if that piece of information has any bearing.

[gb2009]

Awesome! Thank you Silverly. I'll look into the Hyde and Goodrich but it sounds very promising.....how about the hallmarks then- would they be American- I was thinking that the bust was some kind of duty mark and was off looking at English hallmarks....but now it seems that the bust may mean something different.....

[silverly]

Those are pseudo hallmarks which I think many will agree were done to give an item of silver the impression of having the quality of British silver. The idea of quality and with no genuine attempt to deceive was the goal.

[dognose]

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

A large sharp close-up of the marks would be very much appreciated for the website.

Trev.

[gb2009]

Hi Trev. Here's some more- let me know if you need something better and may be I can find out a way to get them magnified. The marks are set in the bottom of the pot so I'm having some difficulty getting a camera down in there with adequate light.

On the left is the bust. Seems like a chubby guy with a pony tail who is turned to his left so he is facing the rest of the marks. The middle is clearly inscribed H&G. On the right I'm fairly sure is a eagle- head turned to the right and wings spread out behind.

Any help you can give me would be great.

[gb2009]

I have magnified the images of the bust and eagle- best I can do so far......Let me know if you need anything else!

[dognose]

Excellent, thank you.


Hyde & Goodrich - New Orleans - 1848

Trev.

[dognose]

.............His maternal grandfather was Charles Harrod, who was president of the Atchafalaya Bank of New Orleans, and was aide-de-camp to General Jackson at the battle of New Orleans.

Source: American Biography: A New Cyclopedia - Volume 5 - 1919

Trev.

[gb2009]

Hi Trev....sorry, I'm not following. So the maker is Hyde and Goodrich...got it. Whose grandfather was Chales Harrod again? Do you know what the hallmarks mean- are they just there to make it look British and don't have any meaning?

Thanks for all your help-

[dognose]

Hi,

As silverly has stated, the marks are pseudos, so not hallmarks, just maker's marks made to look like hallmarks.

The reference is from a biography of Harrod's grandson that contained a snippet of information about his grandfather.

Trev.

[gb2009]

Thanks Trev. Got it.

(admin edit - see Posting Requirements )

Thanks again-