I.S Co.: "INSICO"- Matson Navigation

[Traintime]

Labeled "Matsonia Pattern" for china and glassware versions, this Matson Navigation Company topmarked logo is on an unidentified International Silver flatware pattern (or one of the component concerns). TIA.

[dognose]

Hi Traintime,

I've seen it described as 'Reed and Acanthus' or 'Sussex', hopefully another will confirm/deny.


Here's one Matson ship your knife didn't come from:

The Gorham Co. are making the silverware for the new $2,000,000 steamship Moani of the Matson Navigation Co., to ply between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Source: The Hotel Monthly - June 1916

Trev.

[Traintime]

Thanks Trev.-This logo turns out to be "Lurline" rather than "Matsonia" (older and w/o circles). I was able to determine from a known bowl that I.S. Co. made this reed & acanthus pattern for Matson circa 1931. "Sussex" has been applied to the flatware. As to Gorham, they also made an item with this logo and a similar pattern but the photos were not easy to read for a date code symbol. It may be a cross shape, but 1886 seems out of line (the source was estimating circa 1930). (Names of commercial sources are withheld in accordance with site rules here.)

[Traintime]

From A Century of Silver 1847---1947 Connecticut Yankees and a Noble Metal by Earl Chapin May (International Silver Company advance complimentary copy of 1st edition): page 284-5......"While the Hotel Division was servicing one steamship line with 56,000 silverware pieces, a large portion to be used on two mammoth ships, it was also equipping the Lalola, Mariposa, Monterrey and Lurline of the Matson Lines with International silver to sail the seas as far as Asia and Australia". [It should be pointed out that while the latter three ships were constructed/outfitted between 1930 and 1932, the "Malola" was built in 1927 as a fast ship. It could have been a mis-spelling of the name for May's list.]