posted 10-31-1999 05:16 PM            

These pictures show a set of pseudo-hallmarks and an "Olive" type flatware pattern sporting those same marks. Research and good fortune have led me to conclude that the [Head][Lion][C] marks are the manufacturer's mark of John A. Cole of New York City. Here is my evidence.

1.) I have a set of forks in this same pattern with the words J.A.C. PATENT 1853. I once had a set of identical forks with the pseudo-hallmarks only. John A. Cole has the right initials, and was manufacturing coin silver at the right time.

2.) Belden's Marks of American Silversmiths in the Ineson-Bissel Collection illustrates a mark with John A. Cole's name and these same pseudohallmarks. Manufacturers like George Sharp are known to have sold silver marked in very much the same way.

It isn't perfectly conclusive, but the evidence fits. Little has been published about John A. Cole, other than that he began working in New York City in the early 1840's and appears to have gone out of business by 1858.

According to helpful people with access to the patent records, no flatware patents were granted in 1853. It is possible that the patent was withdrawn, or never granted in the first place; we may never know for certain. At any rate, I do believe that this pattern was Cole's. The front side of the pattern is similar to the back, with the addition of a very stylized pendant shell at the tip.

For those of you with a copy of "Silver in the Golden State", this same pattern is illustrated under the name "Olive" and attributed to Frederick Reichel of California. I had an opportunity to handle two different california spoons in this pattern. One had the Cole marks, as well as the K&R stamp of Koehler & Ritter of San Francisco. The other spoon was noticeably lighter in weight and carried a California retailer mark only. My theory is that one of the California manufacturers, probably Reichel, produced copies of Cole's design, probably after Cole went out of business. The Koehler and Ritter marked spoon was probably old stock, as they succeeded Reichel in 1867.

posted 11-01-1999 10:38 PM            

I should have elaborated more on the patent information. From what I have learned, no patent exists for this pattern for any year. I have been told that all patents for "Olive" pattern variations were withdrawn, due to multiple patent infringement suits. If true, this may have been one of the patterns involved.

posted 01-14-2000 10:50 PM            

(Letter sent to me by Trefid):

quote:

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Hello, Brent--
Saw your post and thought you might be interested in the attached image.
I do not as a rule collect any plain coin silver, but the piece retailed by A.C. Cory was only $2 at a church bazaar, and at that time I'd never seen the mark before.
The OLIVE-type teaspoon has no retailer, while both the dessert spoon and the PRINCE ALBERT fork were retailed by "S.Y. & Co." Do you know where this retailer or Cory was located?
All of the examples are of approximately the same weight, given the difference in pieces.
I'd like to thank you for tentatively identifying this maker for us collectors. Good piece of research! Do you have any other mfr.'s marks up your sleeve? I'm still trying to identify:

• [eagle] [T] [5-pointed star] in, respectively, circle, diamond, circle cartouches
  
• [lion facing left] [anchor] [H] all in oblong or square cartouches

I don't think my photographic skills are up to getting a non-blurry image of the marks themselves, but the former is on a partially-twisted stem w/ wide TIPT ENGRAVED end (a Philadelphia shape), while the latter is from a charming youth knife/fork set--only knife is marked--in Gorham's PRINCESS with the addition of engraved "fishing scenes" and engine turning. (And I assure you that the final letter is a Times-style serif "H", not a Gothic G.)
The knife is also marked coin, and both pieces of the set are engraved "Louie California 1858" on the reverse.
If you have any clues, please let me know.

Cheers--Trefid

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posted 08-15-2001 02:55 PM            

I just realized that I had never posted my own pictures on this topic, so here they are. I am certain that J.A.C. is indeed John A. Cole. McFadden was a prominent retailer in Pittsburgh, PA.

posted 09-07-2001 09:00 AM              

As to when and where he worked:

Rainwater gives his dates as 1852-58,
but somewhere she states that she did not go further back in the New York City
directories than 1852.

Von Khrum gives 1841-59.

His locations are given as 4 Little Green Street and 8 Liberty Place, but this is the same location: Little Green Street's name was changed to "Liberty Place" during this period, and 4-8 Liberty Place was a single large building (or set of conjoined buildings) where a lot of silver firms were located.