“K&P” with a “G” mark, Kerr & Phillips?

[Essexboy Found]

Kerr & Phillips were a large concern involved with electroplated cutlery, but our Forum has limited information about the company apart from the below reference touching on the later history and more particularly about silversmithing.

https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopi ... 58#p155858

I have a couple silverplate marks below for consideration.



Ever since I took a more than a passing interest in silverplate marks I believed that electroplate cutlery firms often gave a indication of their geographical base in their marks. A recent group of spoons I bought had one marked “K&P with a “G”. I recognised it immediately was as having been manufactured or retailed by that Glasgow based firm of Kerr & Phillips. I thought everyone who was interested in electroplate identification believed this as well. That was until I checked our website’s Silverplate reference section. Here the belief is that such marks belong to a London concern “Kleinwort & Peerless”. But why would they use a “G” in their trademarking? I do not know much about “K&P” of London (as yet and they are not in the Morris’s London Business Directory (Alphabetical) 1884) but here is some information about “Kerr & Phillips” of Glasgow.

Kerr & Phillips can be found in the 1879-1880 Post Office Glasgow directory as:

.........Kerr & Phillips, wholesale silver-plate merchants and cutlery agents, 74 Buchanan Street

and with the associated names of
.........Kerr, James (of Kerr & Phillips), ho. Cumbernauld.
........Phillips, James (of Kerr & Phillips), house, 5 Stonefield terrace.

I looked at the previous 2 years and found no entries for that concern but there could have been pre-dating firms.

The Post Office Glasgow directory 1883-1884 had minor changes to the firm,

............Kerr & Phillips, wholesale silver-plate merchants, spoon and fork manufacturers, &c., 74 Buchanan St.
and also: “Kerr & Phillips, silversmiths, 74 Buchanan Street"
This second entry confirms the period of silver hallmarked at the Glasgow Silver Assay Office from 1881. The website silvermakersmarks.co.uk shows 1881 to 1905 as the period when items have been assayed there for them. The address given on that website is Buchanan Street but also Gordon Street, Glasgow.

In the Glasgow directory 1890-1891 we have

........Kerr & Phillips, wholesale silver plate merchants, spoon and fork manufacturers, electroplaters and gilders, importers of French clocks, bronzes, &c.74 Buchanan Street.

By 1893-1894 "James Kerr" was not present in the Glasgow Post Office Directory but James Phillips, (of Kerr & Phillips) was and the early 1900's brought another change as there was an additional address in the 1902-1903 directory and out of Scotland.

............Kerr & Phillips, wholesale silver plate, spoon and fork manufacturers, electroplaters and gilders, 74 Buchanan Street, and Albin works, Birmingham.

Kerr & Phillips had silvermarks registered at the Sheffield Assay Office covering this time and items with their “K&P” marks have been noted between 1894 and 1910.

The Glasgow directories 1911-1912 & 1920-1921 had the same entry as 1902-1903 but for 1921-1922 there was another change of address as they were no longer at 74 Buchanan Street but now on Gordon Street and at Albin works, Birmingham. The name Phillips, James (of Kerr & Phillips) was still associated in those years, but there was no James Phillips associated with Kerr & Phillips in 1922-23.
In 1925-26 Kerr & Phillips are just at 25 Gordon St Glasgow as Wholesale Silverplate manufacturers and electroplaters and a John Oliver Early (of Kerr & Phillips) was the name associated. You may have or may not have seen that same name was mentioned in the Forum post I referenced at the start of my post. It seems John Oliver Early may have been connected with the firm earlier than suggested in that post.

Kerr & Phillips may have had a silver mark registered at the Birmingham Assay Office in this J.O.Early period as a “K&P” mark described by “silvermakersmarks.co.uk” as “Kerr & Phillips (probably)” has been noted. There was highly likely to have been a Chester mark as well as a “K&P” mark on a medal is shown in the pictures in the other post.






In 1936-37 Kerr & Phillips are at 25 Gordon St Glasgow are wholesale jewellers and silversmiths with John Oliver Early who is listed with Kerr & Phillips in multiple Glasgow Post-Office directories up to 1941-42. I searched no further.

Relating to John Oliver Early

Glasgow directory > 1906-07

...........Early, J. Oliver, watchmaker and jeweller, 377 Springburn Rd. ; ho. 21 Berkeley ter

Glasgow directory 1922-23

...........Early, J. Oliver, watchmaker and jeweller, 377 Springburn Rd



Regarding the “Albin Works” I did find from a newspaper archive dated 1901, a mention of an address of Moseley Street, Birmingham. Sorry, not strong evidence but I also did not find “Kleinwort & Peerless” in Kelly’s London Directory for 1899.

Also sorry this is a long post and I hope there are not too many errors in it. I started this bit of research a while ago for “Contributor's Notes” but as I think there is confusion with “Kleinwort & Peerless” I have posted here for comments. I found nothing in the London Directories that I was able check to suggest they existed. I have a bit more information to be passed on after comments from other Forum members.

Fishless

[dognose]

Hi Fishess,

I'm convinced! But then, I don't need much convincing when it comes to the misattribution of silver-platers marks.

The problem is, and it is ongoing to this day, is that various authors of reference books and websites have attributed certain marks, often only on the strength of seeing an initialed mark and then matching it with a name in an old directory. They publish what they assume is correct, and once the public see it in black and white, then it becomes gospel and repeated over and over again and it's very hard, even seemingly impossible in some cases, to rectify such mistakes and to get people to change their minds.

What can be done about it? I think the only way we can be certain to have the correct attribution is when we get the information straight from the horse's mouth. Period advertisements, letter-heads or similar, etc., direct from the manufacturers that show their marks, needs recording, and then, and only then can we attribute with 100% confidence following concrete evidence, marks that fail to show the maker's name in full.

I'll start a topic in the 'Contributors' Notes' section of the forum and hopefully members will share their information there. If we can correct but one previous misattribution, then it will be a worthwhile project.

Trev.

[dognose]

The new topic mentioned in the above post can be found here:

Advertisements from British Silver-Platers that Show their Marks

Trev.

[Essexboy Found]

Thanks Trev, sadly you are correct about the repeating of incorrect information. You can find electroplated items for sale or sold all over the world apparently made by a “K&P” company that likely never existed. A London company who did exist was a wholesale umbrella and parasol manufacturing company called “Kleinwort, Peerless & Lewin”. The “silvercollection.it” references a company, “Kleinwort, Peerless & Lewis” having a silver maker’s mark entered at the London Assay Office in 1908. It is described as “K.P over & over L into a shield”. Corroboration of a silver mark could be this Christie’s auction listing of

“a group of 5 walking sticks 19th/20 century.......... a greyhound-head carved wood cane with spring-loaded-movable jaw and silver collar marked 1909, Kleinwort, Peerless & Lewin”

I could not find a associated “Mr Kleinwort” in the London directories that I checked.

I found Mr “Peerless, Percy Wltr. umbrella ma. see Kleinwort, Peerless & Lewin” and I found Mr “Lewin, Alfred Edwd. umbrella ma. SEe Kleinwort, Peerless & Lewin.

Our reference section for the likely non-existent firm has the information "founded c.1895. Alfred F. Kleinwort & Percy W. Peerless London England". I can see in my research a Percy Wltr Peerless and an Alfred E Lewin who made umbrellas.

Fishless