Gorham Buttercup unknown date marks

[KittenHeel]

Inherited Gorham Buttercup from relative married in 1910. E mark on forks suggests 1872, H on serving spoon 1875, but how does that tally with the 'Patent 1900'? Is an E in a diamond diffeerent from a plain E?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grabby/sets/72157594517224260/

Many thanks
Southerner in London

[2209patrick]

Gorham did not put date marks on flatware. The E in a diamond mark refers to the weight of the spoons. The E stands for Extra. In the late 19th century and early 20th century some flatware was made in as many as five different weights. Here are the Gorham weight marks:



Pat.

[KittenHeel]

One more quandry - the type of hallmarks seem to match the last quater of the 19th century, but what does that mean in relation to 'Patent 1900'? Are the hallmark dates listed on the website also not really relevant to flatware?

Thanks again!

[2209patrick]

Every reference I've read seems to vary slightly with dates on the Gorham marks. On flatware I always suggest starting with the pattern and when it was introduced. Pattern dates are well documented. I think the best we can say is your Gorham flatware dates to the first quarter of the 20th century.

Pat.