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Author Topic:   Edward Ball Company
LAT

Posts: 5
Registered: Jul 2006

iconnumber posted 07-27-2006 10:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for LAT     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
[26-1148]

I have a silver tea & coffee service that I am told was made by the Edward Ball Company. The Tea pot and Coffee pot both have the initials EB in a circle, but the sugar bowl, creamer and waste bowl have a silhouette inside an oval as teh mark. They are all marked with pattern number E150 and the word STERLING. I am looking for info on the company and possible dating of the pieces. I've included photos below.

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SusanT

Posts: 104
Registered: Nov 2005

iconnumber posted 07-28-2006 11:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for SusanT     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Welcome to the forum! Please, tell us about your silver interest.

This pattern of Edward Ball, E150, is listed on the big online silver/china replacement service showing a pic of this lovely tea & coffee service. Hmmm...their pic of the full service is a cropped pic of the one you posted here. Did you supply the pic to the replacement service?

Here is what Rainwater, p. 21, has to say about the company. The Edward Ball Co. was located in NY, NY, were manufactuerers of sterling silverware, and listed in JKD 1918-19 as silversmiths.

--- Susan

[This message has been edited by SusanT (edited 07-28-2006).]

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LAT

Posts: 5
Registered: Jul 2006

iconnumber posted 07-28-2006 11:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for LAT     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the info. I think the picture shown on the [snip] is actually the picture of my set that I sent them while doing research.

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IJP

Posts: 326
Registered: Oct 2004

iconnumber posted 07-28-2006 12:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for IJP     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Welcome to the Forum, LAT:

With time you'll learn to recognize distinct styles in silver design which will assist you in identifying approximate eras of production. The style of this tea set is very typical for the early 20th century. See for example, Gorham's Plymouth pattern, ca. 1911. This colonially inspired style features clean lines and lots of plain undecorated surfaces. This design trend immediately follows the Art Nouveau fashions of the turn of the century which featured intense decoration, often floral, with sweeping and flowing lines. Sometime into the early- to mid-20th century, Art Deco designs characterized by often geometric and architecturally inspired elements become more common.

These are just very generalized descriptions, and often the dominant styles would overlap and run concurrently. But you'll find that knowing these styles and recognizing their eras of popularity will help you greatly when you come across pieces which don't otherwise immediately identify themselves.

Again, we are happy to have you and welcome you to participate as much as you like. Would you tell us more about yourself and your interest in silver?

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LAT

Posts: 5
Registered: Jul 2006

iconnumber posted 07-28-2006 03:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for LAT     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I inherited this set from my father, who inherited it from an elderly woman at the church we went to when I was young. We lived in Macon, Georgia. The set is engraved with a monogram "M" as this lady's name was Merkel. It's interesting that the tray was probably not made with the set as it has a Gorham mark and name and pattern number Y1038. It also has what appears to be an hourglass stamp next to the pattern.

Does anyone have an idea of what the silohuette inside an oval mark stands for?

I also have a complete 8 place setting, set of Gorham sterling flatware in the Camellia pattern that was a wedding gift to my parents in 1947. It is engraved with a T.

To be honest I plan to hang on to the flatware because it has family value to me. The silver service has been packed away for a few years and I hate for it to not be appreciated by someone.

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SusanT

Posts: 104
Registered: Nov 2005

iconnumber posted 07-29-2006 02:04 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for SusanT     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
>Gorham... It also has what appears to be an hourglass stamp next to the pattern.<

Gorham has used year markings on its holloware since 1868. The hourglass is for 1901.
Gorham Marks & Date Codes

Sorry, I can't help you on the silhouette in the oval because the pic is too small for these old eyes. Scanning a mark creates a cleared and enlarged pic.

--- Susan

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IJP

Posts: 326
Registered: Oct 2004

iconnumber posted 07-29-2006 09:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for IJP     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My thought on the silhouette or cameo in an oval is the Mount Vernon Company. See this thread (Geroge Washington Mark??) (sic), or consult Rainwater and Redfield's Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers for an illustration.

I would think that the sugar bowl, creamer, and waste bowl were produced by the Mount Vernon Company (1903-1913 = stylistically consistent for the time period). The set appears to be assembled. The coffeepot and teapot are made perhaps by Edward Ball Co., the tray by Gorham, and the other pieces by Mount Vernon.

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LAT

Posts: 5
Registered: Jul 2006

iconnumber posted 07-29-2006 01:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for LAT     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the info. The sugar, creamer, waste bowl also have the E150 patern number the same as the coffee and tea pots. Would it have been placed on the pieces by whoever assembled the set?

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IJP

Posts: 326
Registered: Oct 2004

iconnumber posted 07-30-2006 12:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for IJP     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
If indeed the creamer, sugar bowl, and waste bowl also bear the E150 manufacturer code as you say, I'm inclined to believe that it's an extraordinary coincidence. When I look really close at the images, it almost seems that the Mount Vernon Co. pieces (if in fact that's what they are) have a more pronouncedly scalloped, nearly fluted, body that the coffee- and teapot lack. The sugar bowl and creamer also seem not to have the upward sweep at the handle corner that is shared by the pots—Although I suppose this could occur in an actual set, since the coffee- and teapot share a function not intended for the other pieces (It wouldn't seem right to me, but who's to say?). I'm going to stick with my gut feeling and assume that these pieces were never originally intended to be together, although all three manufacturer "patterns" (Edward Ball, Gorham, Mount Vernon) are stylistically similar and do not make a bad match-up.

I'm not entirely comfortable with my suppositions without actually handling and inspecting the pieces myself, but here they are nonetheless.

In any event, the bottom-most image you provide, of the underside of one of the oval-cameo-stamped pieces, does not appear to display the E150 mark. Is it hidden by the reflective glare or in the unshown lower-most or right-most sections of the base?

[This message has been edited by IJP (edited 07-30-2006).]

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LAT

Posts: 5
Registered: Jul 2006

iconnumber posted 08-01-2006 08:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for LAT     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the information. The last photo does have the E150 mark on it but you can barely see it in the photo. All of those pieces have the E150 mark on them so its odd that they have different makers marks.

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Dale

Posts: 2132
Registered: Nov 2002

iconnumber posted 08-01-2006 11:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dale     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
To my eye, it looks like you have a dessert set: sugar, creamer and spoon holder. At some point someone added the two pots. They coordinate nicely. Trays tend to be orphans, most sets did not really come with a matching tray. People just found one that worked for their needs.

While Rainwater is very good at telling us about who made what, she did tend to fall down in explaining how companies actually sold things. My guess would be that the matched E150 points to a joint marketing venture of some sort. Which was not a crazy thing for smaller manufacturers to do: join with other small makers to offer a wide line of silver. Thus one company would make pots another the accompaning pieces. Usually trays fall to a larger, more established maker as they are prone to problems.

Incidently, the Colonial Revival still is made. It is one of the enduring styles in US sterling.

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