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Author	Topic: silver identifacation cutlery
tassidevil Posts: 3 Registered: Dec 2004	posted 12-13-2004 08:40 PM This is my first question to the forum. I recently aquired a number of interesting pieces of cutlery - several pieces have no hallmarks on them or any identifacation maks except for the letters "Roman silver" or "Burma silver" D.A could anyone please tell me what this means -are they silver or is this some kind of trade mark? IP: Logged
Ulysses Dietz Moderator Posts: 1265 Registered: May 99	posted 12-14-2004 09:11 AM Well this is a puzzler. There was a Roman Silversmiths making plated goods in the 1950s, according to Rainwater, but my other suspicion is that "Roman" and "Burma" both are euphemisms for something other than sterling. Burma (now Myanmar) did in fact produce silver flatware for the tourist trade, but I don't think that's what you have. If cutlery is sterling, it will be marked in some way to show that (unless it's early, and then it will have a maker's mark or some indicator of origin). I wonder if these names aren't something akin to "German Silver" You say "cutlery." That suggests knives...which are usually plated until the late 19th century. Perhaps some more detail might help---and perhaps a different forum would reach experts with deeper knowledge of flatware esoterica than I have. IP: Logged
tassidevil Posts: 3 Registered: Dec 2004	posted 12-14-2004 10:23 PM Thanks for a speedy responce if all my questions are answered this way i look forward to a long and enjoyable membership. The information is very helpfull -i will try posting a photo at a later date unfortunatly my main computer is down. There are no other makers marks on the forks just as I mentioned in my question. So it rmains a mystery. Merry Christmas Gerry IP: Logged
adelapt Posts: 418 Registered: May 2003	posted 12-14-2004 10:51 PM Names such as "Burma silver", Alpaca silver, Bengal silver, Potosi silver, and Broken Hill silver were proprietary brands used on nickel silver alloys (which contained no silver) in the late 19th century and probably a bit later too. They seem to have been mainly of English manufactured flatware (spoons and forks), and could have been electroplated over. Since they sometimes identified with actual sources of silver, like Broken Hill (Australia) and Potosi (South America) they often lead people astray. The extra mark of the initials "DA" would probably identify the maker. IP: Logged
tassidevil Posts: 3 Registered: Dec 2004	posted 12-14-2004 11:54 PM Thanks adelapt The information is very useful as I am about to give them a good clean. If they are indeed nickel silver then I can rub away merrily without having to worry about removing the silver coating. IP: Logged
mdhavey Posts: 164 Registered: Dec 2003	posted 01-02-2005 11:14 PM The D A or sometimes D & A refers to Daniel and Arter. Daniel and Arter Nevada Silverworks, which oddly enough was in Birmingham, England, made alloy silver under the trade name "Burmaloid" among others. Sometimes there was silver plate, others just the silver-looking alloy. IP: Logged

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