TG(orTC) PSUEDO/FALSE HALLMARKS

[Essexboy Fisher]

Hello.
Up till now I always thought “William Page” electroplating had been king of the false hallmark but please view my attached picture and let me know where that “crown” needs to be passed on to. I have not been able to match up the marks on this sugar scoop type of spoon by searching the “net”.
I did find an interesting observation in one of your threads regarding illiteracy in the 19th century and possible copying of other obviously financially successful marks. The stylised “A” in this spoon’s marks being a virtual copy of the London silver 1836 date letter. There is also, I think, a fair mis-representation of the king’s head, the lion passant and the leopards face. Does anyone know the owner of these marks?
Using a lens, the back ground to the marks, appear like the non-polished side of hardboard ie as if they have a stippled back ground. I have described this as it may indicate a manufacturing process and a date that others might know. I hope I get some comments and the identification.


Image
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wkA_ ... +SPOON.jpg

[dognose]

Hi,

The reason why you find that matted effect on the background of the marks is as what you are seeing there is what the whole piece looked like after the plating process was completed. During the plating process the surface of the item becomes like a microscopic flattened finish, on which bubbles of air and gas remain on the surface giving it, what appears to be, a optically matt surface. To try and reduce this effect, items had to be periodically moved around to shake as much of the bubbles off as possible. Following the plating process, items were then polished to get the desired effect, but the polishing process would not have reached into the deeper recesses and thus you sometimes find that effect left behind.

The gas bubble problem was later solved and patented by the Siemens brothers, who were known to have licensed their patent to Elkingtons.

As for the maker, I guess that is going to be another difficult one. The manufacturers of Birmingham and Sheffield were always making items for others and would apply whatever marks were requested. The fourth mark is now thought to represent a an animal hide and was used by various manufacturers to indicate that the item was coated.

TC/G may have the maker, or he may have been a wholesaler or retailer. This type of marking, which is a little to close for comfort to the real thing, was not sold by the manufacturers as hallmarked silver, but the buying public liked to see marks such as these on plated wares, so that their friends and guests thought they possessed real silver.

Trev.

[Essexboy Fisher]

Hello Thank you Dognose for your reply and comments particularly about the manufacture of plate spoons. It is difficult however to realise that there often seems more knowledge about 18th century silversmiths than 19th and 20th century silverplaters. I have, probably like other collectors, other marked but apparently anonymous spoons. Where do we go to glean an identity?
Fishless

[dognose]

Hi Fishless,

More is known about 18th century silversmiths rather than 19th and 20th century silver platers due to the fact that the silversmith was registered with an assay office and was under constant scrutiny by the authorities. They generally held a high position in society, some where famous for their work, some infamous for their misdeeds. All these things and others, meant that records of the details of silversmiths are found in many places, but the same cannot be said of the silver plater, they, for the mostpart, did not not have to register, did not have to comply with laws. Sometimes they set up one year, and were gone the next, partnerships changed constantly in hugely completive industry, with new partnerships, often came new set of marks, and very often, different marks for different lines by the same company, pieces were made for other firms with yet again different marks, and next to nothing was officially recorded, unlike those of the silversmith.

The interest in plated products, especially that of electro plate, has until recent years been small, indeed, there was no interest in old silver until the second half of the 19th century, but now there is an ever growing interest in the work of the plating industry, and with that interest more and more research is carried out and new information comes to light, much of it generated by the internet. You asked "Where do we go to glean an identity?" , the answer is right here, by you and I and everyone else that share that interest exchanging snippets of information, like little pieces of a jig saw puzzle that eventually build into a more complete picture.

So, keep posting your found examples, and keep digging for information, it's out there somewhere.

Trev.