Pacific Plate

[Traintime]

Pacific Plate Works S.F. (as mark on flatware) is listed as operating circa 1870. Is this known to be related to Pacific Plating Co. (marks on holloware)? TIA

[silverly]

The 1909 Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer, Volume 3 page 15 records that the Pacific Plating Co formed five years earlier, apparently in Los Angeles, CA.

[Traintime]

Have just found a reference that states the "San Francisco Plating Works" began in 1867 and begain to advertise in this journal in 1870. My original 1870 reference was an agricultural work listing the "Pacific Plate Works" as making the best plated wares in California. Both refs. are on gooogle books (I saved address just in case). The fork is definitely marked S.F. after the maker.

[Traintime]

Researched both companies..looked for Pac. Plating as a defunct. Got this: The Brass World and Platers Guide v.7 (1911) pg. 34 Pacific Plating Company @ 145 West Railroad Street, Los Angeles, Ca. Highlights: Just completed very good year; will begin to extend plant; increasing capital stock to $100,000; will seek to select a new name that better represent the line of work they are engaging in(?). [ Next close name was Southern California Plating Company in the 1930's under Leonard K. DeBell engaging in automotive grill related plating work...see coachbuilt.com for entry George DuVall...I see no relationship to prior here.]

[Traintime]

The previous 1870 refeference to Placific Plate Works is found in: Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly of the Eighteenth Session of the Legislature of the State of California v.III (3) pg. 95.

1st Addt. ref.: San Francisco Directory for the year commencing October 1868 by Henry G. Langley...under General Review page 53 heaing Silver Plating and Electrotyping a discussion of entrants into a recent competition where Pacific Plate Works apparently excelled above all. Said to have begun in May 1868, currently employing 14 operators, and engaged in electro-plating and gilding of all varieties.

[Traintime]

2nd addt. ref.: Advertisement in The Overland Monthly (Bret Harte 1869) v.2 pg.104 indicates location of works @ No. 520 Sansome Street San Francisco; Haynes & Lawton, Agents (same addresses surrounding this); plate declared of highest quality equalling anything from the east; also engaged in re-plating of worn items.

3rd addt. ref.: San Francisco Directory....for 1873 on page 481 shows O. Lawton & Company, proprietors with location of works still @ 520 Sansome Street and office @ 609 Market Street.

4th addt. ref.: San Francisco Municipal Reports for the Fiscal Year 1880 on page. 1088 under APPENDIX Steam Engines and Boilers continued shows San Francisco Plating Works @ 653 & 655 Mission with an entry for March 8, 1880 with No. 14532--must be a recent registration of plant equipment. (Not sure why we have a name difference now.)

5th addt. ref.: Mining And Scientific Press for May 21, 1910 on page 732 under Fifty Years of Advertising by L.A. Greene (this is vol. 100, no. 21 published @ San Francisco)--relates to first mention of Pac. Plate Works above stating year they began to advertise in this journal; apparently they were still advertising in 1910 (?) but this must be a library bound copy as I could find no ads after scrolling all the way to the next issue.

[dognose]

The 1869 Pacific Plate Works advertisement mentioned in Traintime's research:


Pacific Plate Works - San Francisco - 1869

Trev.

[Traintime]

Thanks Trev! The Pacific Plate Works sample...one can read PAT to the left of "maker" mark but date is not quite clear. So far, it's not even clear if they made the items or just plated unfinished pieces. Could not find a similar pattern searching for the pine cone detail as a highlight, but someone might, in order to find the origins.

[Traintime]

Apologies--The mark on holloware reads "Pacific Plate Company", not "Plating". (Circular mark around Triple Plate). Could find no refs. to this name, so could be a mark of either the S.F. or L.A. companies as noted.

[dragonflywink]

That's the 'Empress' pattern, designed and patented (#D4218) in 1870 by Geo. W. Downing and assigned to Redfield & Rice - it's found with numerous different back-stamps...

~Cheryl

[dognose]

A really poor example of an advertisement from Redfield & Rice:


Redfield & Rice - New York - 1869


The Derby Silver Co. (Factory B) was organized in 1873 for the making of Flatware, being to a large extent the successor of the firm of Redfield & Rice of New York, buying the latter's tools and material.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 5th February 1919

Trev.

[Traintime]

Great info all! My poor old beaten Rainwater indicates Derby only continued production of the flatware for a few more years, then concentrating on hollowares. (In addition, the Hartford Plate Company of 1863 was an R & R subsidiary operation whose tools and equipment went to Derby in 1871..prior to the bankruptcy of R & R.--again, Rainwater).
All seems to indicate the nature of PPW was strictly limited to finishing work, as expected. Looks like their plate has held up pretty well for a piece of about 140+ years(?).

[Traintime]

Restoring images:

[Traintime]

We may have the answer! Posting what may be a Haynes & Lawton Silver Company mark from after 1900 (for Hotel Alexandria Los Angeles) in silverplate section.

[Traintime]

San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda business directory, Dalton & Co., Year 1880...page 352..listing under Plated Ware...Lawton, O. & Co., 609 Market Street. No mention of Hayden & Lawton in any categories.

One explanation of Orlando Lawton going off on his own pottery venture with references concerning Hayden & Lawton (photo of storefront...silver referenced in window right): http://littlebrownjugs.com/lbjphotosmore/olawtonco.html

[Traintime]

Found court case filed 1883..Hayden & Lawton together sued United States relating to insured shipping losses during Civil War. Both shown as natural born citizens, and partnership referred to as "former" firm. Both alive at this time. (No mention of Pacific Plate Works.)

[Traintime]

Sorry, last should read Haynes, not Hayden.

[Traintime]

Hotel Alexandria mark did not pan out. It was a poor remnant of Holmes & Edwards.

[Traintime]

Additional information picks up in this thread for Haynes & Lawton: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=55438

[silverly]

1872 Benjamin Haynes and Orlando Lawton are listed as importers and jobbers crockery and glassware and proprietors Pacific Plate Works, 611 Market, Grand Hotel in the San Francisco Directory.