Advertisements from British Silver-Platers that Show their Marks

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A topic for recording advertisements, etc. from British silver-plate manufacturers that shows the actual marks that they were using at the time.

Over the years some 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.

I think the only way we can be certain to have the correct attribution of some of those marks 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.

Of course, a vast majority of manufacturers did not record their marks in this way, but some did, and it's those who did that we need to record here.

Trev.

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GEORGE HAWKSLEY & Co.

Charlotte Street Works, Sheffield



George Hawksley & Co. - Sheffield - 1866

G H & Co. Anchor

A classic example of the anchor not always being an indicator of a Birmingham based business.

Trev.

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WILLIAM HUTTON & SONS

27, High Street, Sheffield



Wm. Hutton & Sons - Sheffield - 1884


WH & S B P

Trev.

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GILBERT BROTHERS

Eclipse Works, Sheffield



Gilbert Brothers - Sheffield - 1866

ECLIPSE

Trev.

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CAMPBELL & LUMBY

Old Post Office Place, Liverpool



Campbell & Lumby - Liverpool - 1914

C & L

Trev.

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JOHN ROUND & SON

Sheffield




JR & S ALL THE ROUND BP

JR & S ALL THE ROUND EP

Trev.

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JAMES REID & Co.

98, West Nile Street, Glasgow, and Sheffield and Birmingham



James Reid & Co. - Glasgow - 1866

S J R &Co

Trev.

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EDWARD BARNES & SONS

Wheeldon Works, 239, Solly Street, Sheffield



Edward Barnes & Sons - Sheffield - 1866

Trev.

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THOMAS OTLEY & SONS

Meadow Works, Meadow Streer, Sheffield



Thomas Otley & Sons - Sheffield - 1878

'BENVENUTO CELLINI'

Trev.

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PHILIP ASHBERRY & SONS

Ashberry's Metal Works, Bowling Green Street, Sheffield



Philip Ashberry & Sons - Sheffield - 1866

Trev.

[Essexboy Found]

Frederick Whitehouse, Birmingham

Here are a couple of trade directory entries relating to Frederick Whitehouse's, Birmingham electroplated spoon and fork making concern. "Afghan Silver" and "Imperial Silver" are mentioned. This is from Bennetts Directory of Warwickshire for 1914.
The second entry is from the Post Office London Directory 1882 Part 3 "Spoon & Fork Manufacturers". "Afghan Silver" is mentioned but the company is "Spittle, Lister & Co". The address is "Lion Works, Warstone Lane, Birmingham" in both trade entries. Possible evidence of "Spittle, Lister & Co" being a precursor concern to Frederick Whitehouse.



There is added information that "Spittle, Lister & Co" had developed from "David Cope & Son" whose roots went back 1789. The 2nd entry did come from a London Directory and there were other well known names in that list including, Potosi Silver Co of Birmingham and Richard Richardson and Walker & Hall of Sheffield.

Fishless

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HOWES & BROWETT

14, Dean Street, Birmingham and 46, Little Britain, London



Howes & Browett - Birmingham - 1869


H & B

Trev.

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ADOLPH SCOTT

24-26, Great Hampton Street, Birmingham



Adolph Scott - Birmingham - 1914

AS/B
AMNORA SILVER
PERUBA ROLLED GOLD
ASCO BEST GILT
AMNORA PLATE

Trev.

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WILLIAM HUTTON & SONS

27, High Street, Sheffield



Wm. Hutton & Son - Sheffield - 1862

Trev.

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PRIME & SON

Birmingham



Prime & Son - Birmingham - 1890

Trev.

[Essexboy Found]

James Muirhead & Co. Glasgow

Hello, here are a couple Nickel Silver trade names I believe not many of our Forum readers will have heard of, let alone seen. The tradenames are "Sycee Nickel Silver", and possibly "Glassford Nickel Silver". The Glasgow concern of James Muirhead & Co claimed ownership of them in their 1911-1912 Post-Office Annual Glasgow directory listing.

Muirhead, James, & Co., wholesale jewellers, watch factors, clock importers, cutlery, electro-plated wares and hardware merchants, sole proprietors of the registered Sycee and Glassford nickel silver spoons and forks, 31 Glassford street.

Here is a composite image from a dessert spoon seemingly made of "Sycee Nickel Silver". On the spoon' s stem is written "J.M.& Co".



This James Muirhead & Co concern likely formed in the mid 1860's as Muirhead, Boyd & Co. and by the 1870 becoming Muirhead, Stirling, & Co.,

Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1867-1868
........Muirhead, Moir, & Co., wholesale hardware and fancy goods merchants, jewellers, &c., 7 Stockwell St.
............Muirhead, James (of Muirhead, Moir, & Co.), house, 9 Craignestock place.
Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1869-1870
..........Muirhead, Stirling, & Co., wholesale hardware and fancy goods merchants, jewellers, &c., 7 Stockwell street.
..............Muirhead, James (of Muirhead, Stirling, & Co., 7 Stockwell street), house, 9 Craignestock place.
Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1872-1873
.........Muirhead, James, & Co., wholesale jewellers, hardware, firework, and fancy goods merchants, brush, comb, and perfumery factors, &c., 7 Stockwell St.; house, 6 Newhall terrace.
Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1881-1882
...........Muirhead, James, & Co., wholesale jewellers, hardware, and toy merchants, and watch factors, 6 Stockwell street ; house, 142 Crown st.
Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1895-1896 and 1905-1906
............Muirhead, James, & Co., wholesale jewellers, watch factors, clock importers, cutlery, electro-plated wares and hardware merchants, sole proprietors of the registered Sycee nickel silver spoons and forks, 4 and 6 Stockwell st

Final cautionary note. Muirhead is not an uncommon Glasgow surname and and there was a contemporary concern called James Muirhead & Sons that could cause and may have caused confusion concerning James Muirhead & Co. A possible example of a antique confusion maybe shown in this link to a Forum post with a notation relating to James Muirhead & Co.

viewtopic.php?p=206830#p206830

James Muirhead & Sons have had Queen Victoria's warrant for several years whereas James Muirhead & Co. do not appear to be proclaiming it at all.
Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1884-1885
........Muirhead, Jas., & Sons, watchmakers to the Queen, goldsmiths, jewellers, and chronometer makers to the Admiralty, 90 Buchanan street and 19 Exchange place.
Post-Office annual Glasgow directory > 1885-1886
...............Muirhead, James, & Co., wholesale jewellers and hardware merchants, 6 Stockwell street.
...............Muirhead, James, & Sons, goldsmiths, jewellers, and watch and chronometer makers, 90 Buchanan st, and 19 Exchange place
...............Muirhead, Robert K., watchmaker, by appointment, to the Queen (late James Muirhead & Son), 104 Buchanan st., and 7a Royal Bank pi. ; res. Westerton, Lenzie.

Here are links to Forum references relating to James Muirhead & Sons and also to Robert K Muirhead (late James Muirhead & Son).

viewtopic.php?p=109712&hilit=glasgow+mu ... 20Buchanan

viewtopic.php?p=109712&hilit=glasgow+mu ... 20Buchanan


Fishless