I/O mark

[DianaGaleM]

I'm aware that I/O on a piece of WMF silver plate is their "standard" thickness of plating. What I'm wondering is, did any other company ever use that designation?

The reason I ask is that there are some knives and forks on sale at eBay that bear this I/O mark, but this mark only. The seller is claiming these are WMF based on the I/O mark, alone. I can't post an image out of copyright concerns. There are two things that bother me...

1. I've never seen a piece of WMF that didn't have one or another of the WMF maker's marks on it.

2. The I/O mark is on the knife blade, not the handle, which I've never seen before.

Any thoughts?

(admin edit - see Posting Requirements )

[dognose]

Hi,

Are the blades stainless steel? I'm wondering if the letters are just an abbreviation for Inox (inoxydable), a synonym for stainless steel.

Trev.

[Bahner]

Hello, to the best of my knowledge no other company than WMF used "I/O" as a mark. There are authentic WMF pieces just marked with this I/0 or with a number to tell the thickness of the plating, bearing not other WMF mark. I do not know why the pieces were marked like that, but it happens. With pieces like fruit knifes or fish eaters etc. the I/O or any other WMF mark or set of marks can also be on the blade, especially if the blade is plated as well. Best wishes, Bahner

[DianaGaleM]

Well, I guess I just hadn't run across pieces without a WMF mark before. If WMF was the only manufacturer using the I/O mark, then the seller is correct in asserting they are WMF. But you mention something else I was unaware of, that the *blades* can be plated. Duhhh... I thought they were always steel. If the blades are plated, it makes sense the I/O marks are on the blades. Thank you!

[AG2012]

O - extra thick silver coating
I/O - regular silver coating i.e.1 g of silver per 10 square cm of base metal.

Regards

[DianaGaleM]

To quote the 1906 catalogue, verbatim:

- O - quality (first) is extra heavy plating,
- I/O - quality (second) is good, heavy plating,
- I - quality (third) is good plating,

I've seen some "O" pieces, and they've certainly held up well.

[AG2012]

It`s interesting, although I never bought silver plate and cannot tell much.But have noticed different thickness in French cutlery depending on expected wear; thicker on forks, e.g. Very clever.
Have a nice day.

[DianaGaleM]

Definitely clever! I have a 1965 WMF sales brochure on some of their patterns where they tout their "Patent-hartversilbert," in which the silver is up to three times thicker on "stress points," such as the heel, tip, and rim of a spoon.

[DianaGaleM]

I got permission from the owner of these images to post them here.

This is the mark:


and this is the set: