Wallace / sheffield plate mark ; how are they related ?

[brenderella]

I found these marks on this site - yet without a detailed description of what each mark means . The passant lion , according to British hallmarks means the item is .925 sterling . However , Wallace is an American silversmith....so does the passant lion still mean it's .925 silver ? I don't have a clue how Wallace and Sheffield connect . Nor do I know what the letters N S stand for in this group of marks . Below these marks on this teapot is an R 10 , also states that it's silver soldered base , and #3111 N. Also , very faintly scratched in by hand is another number : 345 . Any help on this is GREATLY appreciated . I sold this teapot on eBay , did not say that I was sure it was sterling . However , the purchaser is really on me about these marks ! Thanks so much !!!

[2209patrick]

I don't believe there is any connection between Wallace and Sheffield.
The lion and crown on this R. Wallace & Sons mark are pseudo marks (they have no meaning). The teapot is silverplated. The letters NS stand for nickel silver, which is the base metal under the silverplate.

Silver soldered refers to a manufacturing process of silverplated wares where the various base-metal parts are soldered together using silver solder. Generally you see this mark on what we call "Hotel Silver".
These silverplated wares that were sold to restaurants, hotels, cruise lines, etc. and had extra thick plating so they would last longer. Many silver manufacturers used the term "Silver Soldered" instead of "Silverplated" on Hotel Silver, I guess they thought it sounded better.
Hotel Silver is very popular today, more so than standard silverplate items.

Regards,
Pat.

[Traintime]

Might be worth noting that this mark is also associated with the Wallingford Company which was a controlled subsidiary of R. Wallace & Sons. In 1955, the Watson Company was purchased and moved to Wallingford in 1956. Earlier, Watson itself had employed the Crown and Lion symbols in their own marks. They were also used by The Thomae Company (a division of Watson Company) as well as succesor Watson & Briggs.