posted 10-17-2000 10:55 AM            

For many years the mark HH&B in a diamond, as illustrated here, was logically attributed to Hall, Hewson & Brower of Albany, New York. This partnership was short lived, from 1849 to 1852. In a recent article by Don Soeffing in Antiques magazine (September 1999), he asserts that the HH&B mark was not used until 1855, and was in fact used only by S.D. Brower & Son, the successor to Hall, Hewson and Brower. The HH&B mark was apparently a memorial of sorts for Brower's original partners.

For what it's worth, here is a bit of concrete evidence that S.D. Brower & Son used the HH&B mark. These marks appear on a fine paper/butter knife (I'll let Scott explain).

Mr. Soeffing's conclusions finally answer a long-standing puzzle of mine. I have another fine piece with the HH&B mark, featuring finely engraved Japanese designs. Japanese designs became the rage in America only in the late 1860's; how could a piece from about 1850 have such designs, unless they were added later? Happily, I can conclude that my engraving is original, and that my piece actually does date form the late 1860's, or even early 1870's.

posted 03-21-2001 01:25 PM            

The "...ane & Sher..." mark which is overstricken on Trefid's Brower spoon is undoubtedly the retailer's mark of Timpane & [Henry W.] Sherrill, jewelers active in Troy, NY in 1875. I have a cake knife with the Brower & Son retail mark, overstamping that of James Mix, Jr., and Albany, NY jeweler.

In response to the question of whether or not the "D, eagle, bust" sequence of pseudohallmarks can be definitively attributed to Brower or not, I can offer that I have a youth set with bright cut engraving which features the HH&B diamond mark on two pieces, and the pseudohallmarks attributed to Brower on the third. In further support of a Brower attribution, I have collected more than 100 names of retailers who sold flat and hollow ware also stamped with these marks. The great majority of them were from the Albany-Troy area. As for those jewelers in locations more remote from Albany, a description in Freedley's Leading Pursuits and Leading Men (Phil., 1856) notes that Brower sent his products to all parts of the Union.