Can anyone identify these marks on a silver dish I have?

[cga]

I'm pretty sure that the mark is for Gerofabriek NV (not sure what "NV" stands for) and that the "S" means it's sterling silver and the 90 means 90 grams of the silver (what I'm guessing is coin silver) were used on the dish. What's a mystery to me is what the "B" in the circle to the left of the GERO mark indicates, and overall, what year(s) this mark was used in and the possible age of the dish. I can tell you that it has the Rotterdam Lloyd ocean liner emblem on it, perhaps that would offer some insight into the "B" mark.



Thanks everyone for whatever assistance you can lend me.

CGA

[oel]

Hi,

Your dish has been silver plated. 90 indicates the amount of pure silver 90 grams, used to silver plate 12 sets of tableware, 12 forks and 12 spoons or 12 table dishes. Gero NV, naamloze vennootschap EN: public limited liability company, joint stock company, company limited by shares, public limited company, limited company, public company

For more info see: http://www.zilverbank.nl/zilverfeiten/0 ... gero.shtml

The B could be a designers mark.

Regards,

Oel

[cga]

Thanks for your reply, Oel.

I read that the Gero silver plated items had a twin tower assay mark on them (up until 1928). This piece doesn't have the towers. So what does the "S" stand for?

Hi,

Your dish has been silver plated. 90 indicates the amount of pure silver 90 grams, used to silver plate 12 sets of tableware, 12 forks and 12 spoons or 12 table dishes. Gero NV, naamloze vennootschap EN: public limited liability company, joint stock company, company limited by shares, public limited company, limited company, public company

For more info see: http://www.zilverbank.nl/zilverfeiten/0 ... gero.shtml

The B could be a designers mark.

Regards,

Oel

[oel]

Hi again,

S, or perhaps the figure 8. I do not know but it is of no importance. The three marks B, Gero, 90, indicates silver plate made by Gero. Made between 1925 -1970.

Regards,

Oel

[Hose_dk]

I read that the Gero silver plated items had a twin tower assay mark on them (up until 1928). This piece doesn't have the towers. So what does the "S" stand for?

the GERO fabrik had a branch in Denmark - they stamped 2 towers. But that was only the danish branch that did.

[cga]

Thanks to all who replied. Here is an image of the item I am addressing in this post. Anyone have any idea of the possible value/rarity of this piece (if it is rare at all)?

http://commissionarts.com/photos/Rotter ... ay_web.jpg

Thanks.

CGA

[silverport]

Hello »cga«

All in »925-1000« were friendly, polite and helped you as quick as possible.

You've got all for free! So, please accept the rules of »925-1000«.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10

The Don'ts
1. Do not ask any questions, or give an answer, related to the value of an item, this is not an appraisal site. Find similar items on eBay or hire an appraiser.
Any reference to value in a post is grounds for immediate deletion without notice!

Kind regards silverport

[cga]

Oh, my bad, sorry...just ignorant.

Ok, anyone seen a piece like this before or possibly have some information on the history?

Carmen

Hello »cga«

All in »925-1000« were friendly, polite and helped you as quick as possible.

You've got all for free! So, please accept the rules of »925-1000«.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10

The Don'ts
1. Do not ask any questions, or give an answer, related to the value of an item, this is not an appraisal site. Find similar items on eBay or hire an appraiser.
Any reference to value in a post is grounds for immediate deletion without notice!

Kind regards silverport

[silverport]

»ROTTERDAMSCHE LLOYD« - silver plated waiter, made by GERO N.V.

Hello Carmen

I don't know which foreign languages you could read — and of course: understand! Well, I don't use the internet translation programs - I find, they are (maybe all?) in the »pampers«.

The internet is full of history information - the site on »GERO« history, well the site was in Dutch, was already advised from »oel«, to be read!

In the sea oriented country of the Netherlands, you could find many sites on ships ... I know it! ... there you would find also more information on the »ROTTERDAMSCHE LLOYD« - maybe more as you actually like to know.

»ROTTERDAMSCHE …« is in an old Dutch — so, I guess, that your item is made between the two World Wars.

How have you learned to walk? Knowledge grows only, if you research, and you combine results for new searches.

Good luck!

Kind regards silverport

[cga]

Silverport, thank you.

If the research I did do prior to posting is correct, the Stoomvaart Maatschappij (known as the Rotterdamsche Lloyd) was formed in 1875 and was then reformed in 1883 to "N.V. Rotterdamsche Lloyd." What I don't know is whether or not the same ship insignia as shown on the piece was used without the "N.V." Its seems that around 1949, the use of steam ships for travel declined.

Here's where I got the interesting information:
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/rotterdamL.htm

It's great to know that Rotterdamsche is "old Dutch," that certainly helps place it in time a little easier.

CGA

[oel]

Hi,

As far as I can see on your photo, I do not recognize a ship insignia, only the general Rotterdamsche Lloyd and flag with RL for Rotterdamsche Lloyd.
The dishes were made by the hundreds and distributed to be used on the ships, which were under the umbrella/registered under the name of the Rotterdamse Lloyd .
Passengers nicked them for remembrance, like some of us still do with glasses and hotel towels, not me of course

Cheers,

Oel

[cga]

Oel, perhaps "insignia" is the wrong terminology. Yes, I suppose they were lifted by customers, that would make sense, but I've never seen anything like it in considerable online searching I've done.

CGA

[oel]

Hi,

Perhaps a matter of question and demand, an item I have in my possession could by very common and generate plenty of hits in a Google search, however I does not gives us a clue about its value. At the other hand, an item which does not generate any hits in a Google search, also gives us no indication of its value. If an item sells at an auction we could have established a asking and perhaps quid line for a selling price, but still the seller has to find a buyer. Regardless of the asking price. Perhaps the best advice, show your item to an auction house and let the auction house do their job. Perhaps, afterwards we all are surprised.

Good luck

Oel

[cga]

Yes, Oel, I am doing that presently...waiting to hear back.

[Hose_dk]

the term is "Hotel Silver" made for places where a need for large quantities of flatware needed.And still should look. THerefor the silver.
I find these pieces funny - If they relate to me I could buy. ie if my father or other relations worked there.
I am in marketing therefor I also like early promotional things (see Skipperskeer - captains spoons)
A piece from the "White Star Line" ie preferrable Titanic would be interesting.

So in conclusion relationship or public history could drive collectors. In Captains Spoons - I dont care which Agent. It is the subject Captains or Riga etc that matters.

[cga]

Exactly, Hose_dk. I'm in the marketing (advertising) industry as well and certainly the nostalgia and unique association of the piece is what would make it valuable to someone...especially if someone's grandparent or parent (even) once actually boarded the Rotterdam Lloyd.

[oel]

Hi,

There never has been a vessel or ocean liner called the Rotterdamsche Lloyd . It is a name of a shipping company. The change some one boarded the ocean liner called Rotterdamse Lloyd are pretty small.
Your ‘hotel silver’ dish does not carry the name of a ship, only the name of an ordinary shipping company.
For the vessels Rotterdamsche Lloyd owned see: http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/RotterdamLloydPCs.html

The ocean liner Rotterdam was owned by the Holland America line, another famous shipping company with a long history of service. Over and Out!

Regards,

Oel

[Hose_dk]

Sorry for that I thought that you knew that it was the company - Lufthansa or SAS does not carry name of individual planes. Neither does the shipping industry DFDS use the DFDS name no matter what ship.

Rotterdam VI - I took a tour from Copenhagen (Denmark) all the way to Honningsvag (3500 kilometers) and 3500 kilometers back we ended up in Rotterdam (Netherlands). 7.000 kilometers on sea - no procelain or silver marked either HAL, or Carnival or Rotterdam for that matter.Only deck chairs had the logo of HAL.

My captains spoons also carry the name of Robert Kleuenst..... etc not the name of the ship.

But a White star from Titanic might still be interesting :-)

[WarrenM]

This conversation if probably long defunct, but for clarity, I'd like to correct what has been said. The Circled B is a year mark. I assume, based on P being 1949, that B is 1935, but that would imply that Gero used (or bypassed) year marks in all years of WW2, which may be an incorrect assumption. Since, at most, the 3 years 1943-1945 might not have had manufacture, B could possibly imply any year from 1932-1935, but far more likely to be 1935.

Cheers
Warren in Sydney Australia

[oel]

Hi Warren,


The B in a circle is a production letter or production mark and various letters of the alphabet were used to keep control of manufacture. These production letters are on all silver-plated items as from 1917.
The Gero factory in Denmark used a capital P, probably for Plated.
In 1962, the production letters were placed in a square instead of a round circle.
Production letters used on plated items as such have no reference to a particular year and to my knowledge a Gero silver plate date/year/mark letter chart does not exist.

Proost,
Peter in Holland.