www.925-1000.com

Hello,
I recently acquired this Teapot which I believe is Sterling Silver, however I have been unable to find any information on the marks that I found on this Teapot...It appears that the first marking is "EJ & S", then a left facing lion, Letter "D" (I think?), and then a right facing anchor (I have never seen before). Any help or information (Who the manufacture is, what the markings mean, etc) that you can find on this piece or these marks would be greatly appreciated!



These are the marks on the middle of the Teapot



These are the marks on the lid


Thanks for your help!
-B27hawk

The maker is E Jacobs & Son, date is 1895

The anchor is for Birmingham, in the late Victorian times, they punched the anchor sideways.

Great, thanks for the help! Now the tricky part is finding something that has these same markings, I found the markings of EJ&S but I can't find a sideways anchor anywhere...also, is it not stamped Sterling or 925 because of its age? Lastly, any links to EJ&S work or other items that I could use as a reference for this would be appreciated!

Thanks again,
B27hawk

The second mark in the sequence on the top image is the lion passant mark which is used to confirm the item is of UK standard silver. The fourth mark is the anchor showing the item was assayed in Birmingham.

Ephraim Jacobs was born in Poland around 1801. At the time of the 1841 UK Census he was in Sheffield, Yorkshire trading as a furrier. By 1851 he was in Newcastle upon Tyne as a tradesman and trading as a factor in Birmingham by 1861. This information comes from UK Census records.

John Culme's Directory of Gold & Silversmiths 1838-1914 Vol 1 p.255 shows Ephraim Jacobs & Son as wholesale jewellers in Birmingham in 1865 and again in 1872 when an attempt was made to register a mark at Goldsmiths Hall, London which was refused on the grounds that the person who brought it to be entered was not Ephraim Jacobs.The address on the application was The Rookery, Handsworth, Birmingham; the 1871 UK Census for the address does not show Ephraim Jacobs; his son Jacob Jacobs who was born in Sheffield around 1840 is head of the household which also included his mother. It might be presumed that Ephraim had died before 1871although the official registration of death is not immediately apparent.

Jacob Jacobs said he was a general merchant and factor on the 1871 Census and a South African merchant on the one for 1881. Culme's book indicates the firm was still trading in 1911.

Mike

Thank you for all of your help, I really appreciate it.