No Photo!! Arghh! E. A. Stevens Silverplate

[Traintime]

Here's what happens on the day you don't bring the camera. Going through a large bucket of plated flatwares, I found a group of forks backmarked for, apparently unknown, maker "E. A. Stevens". I then found a large serving spoon by another maker with the top engraving "A. Stevens". Finally, on a third pattern (again forks by a third maker), another top engraving for "A. E. S.". Now I'm beginning to wonder if any of this is related to the "Alfred A. Stevens" of the Stevens Silver Company Portland Maine (c.1879-1899 inclusive of predecessors). Did I just miss an opportunity or is this simply coincidence? It's a 20 mile round trip. From what I could tell, the (presumed) plating of the forks was all on brass base.

[Traintime]

Aha. One E. A. Stevens found among Pittsburgh jewelers. Jeweler's Circular-Weekly vol. 75, issue 2, 28 Nov. 1917, page 65, column 2...in reference to P-burgh jewelers gathering up monies for the Y.M.C.A. funds. That might seem to explain the stamped mark on the handle reverse of the first set of forks in place of any other known makers.

[Traintime]

Okay, Pittburgh's got around 125+ retail (only) jewelers in 1908. Edward A. Stevens is one of the holdouts without the (then) high technology of a Bell Telephone. Listed at 6109 Center Avenue with home @ 221 Lehigh Avenue. No chat-line and still stamping his name in flatware..wonder if the younger jewelers were calling him "old Skool" back then!

[Traintime]

A related piece in this group was a serving spoon engraved A. Stevens and marked by "J&J Hall". This firm was searched for six years ago with no confirmative results and two more claims to having such marks (see Collectors Weekly blog here): https://www.collectorsweekly.com/storie ... all-spoons

My examination of wear at the bowl shows plate over silver base metal (britannia, alpacca, or whatever) and not brass. The metal is relatively thin which might fool one into believing it is coin, especially in the handle. But the handle has reflex like one might expect with a brass base. So, this could be a another localized plater working with blanks or formed pieces made by a supplier. And the plater may or may not be the jeweler/retailer responsible for the engraving work.