posted 10-23-2009 04:51 PM            

Good afternoon,
I have been a member since 2005. My interests have always been in American sterling and silver plate.

I recently have started to try to learn more about British Hallmarks. I recently acquired the standard "Threaded" fork shown. It has the name of the American silver smiths Cooper & Fisher who were active in Amity, NY in the mid 19th century. It also has what I believe are three English hallmarks i.e. the Queen Victoria duty mark, a lion for sterling, and a bold F that I think indicates that it was imported into Great Britain from a foreign manufacturer.

Am I correct is assuming that since there is no City or date mark that this is a sterling fork made by Cooper & Fisher and exported to Great Britain?

Thanks for your help.

[img]http://www.smpub.com/ubb/images/09/26-1915-forkhm2.jpg] [/URL]

[img]http://www.smpub.com/ubb/images/09/26-1915-wholefork.jpg] [/URL]

posted 10-23-2009 06:50 PM            

The pseudo mark will have been applied by the American maker as an indication that the item was indeed silver, whether coin or sterling I as a Brit wouldn't know.

posted 10-24-2009 01:01 PM            

quote:

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"Richard Fisher, Cooper's partner from 1854 to 1862, was a jeweler by profession and brought at least thirty thousand dollars to the partnership.(27) In 1860 the firm produced about thirty thousand dollars worth of secular and ecclesiastical silver and employed an average of fifteen workers, making them the eighth largest silver manufacturer in New York City.(28) However, when Fisher withdrew his investment in 1862, Cooper underwent a series of financial misfortunes from which he never recovered. He made his last known piece of communion silver about 1875."

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