Help ID Ford & Tupper Sterling DEMITASSE SPOONS

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Help ID Ford & Tupper Sterling DEMITASSE SPOONS

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Author	Topic: Help ID Ford & Tupper Sterling DEMITASSE SPOONS
JenC unregistered	posted 04-20-2004 01:53 PM [01-1467] Can anyone help me ID these sterling demitasse spoons. They are marked "J P PATENT 837 FORD & TUPPER STERLING" Thanks! IP: Logged
Patrick Vyvyan Posts: 640 Registered: May 2003	posted 04-21-2004 01:13 AM I've looked up the Design Patent 837 only to find it is a wood-burning stove. Certainly numbers in this range correspond to the late 1850s. However the number doesn't seem too clear in the photo, could it be another number? IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 04-21-2004 01:37 AM This pattern was probably patented in the mid-late 1860s. The retailer, Ford & Tupper, existed under that name from 1867-1874, so the spoon was made during that time. The number is not likely to be a patent number. It could be the patent date, but it is not clear enough. American flatware was rarely stamped with the actual patent number, usually just the date or not at all. I am sure the number is not 837. It is more likely to be "1867". [This message has been edited by Paul Lemieux (edited 04-21-2004).] IP: Logged
swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 Registered: May 2003	posted 04-21-2004 01:20 PM John Polhemus (Polhamus) designs regularly appear with patent dates [J.P. PAT(ENT). 18xx or 'xx], as do those of Henry Hebbard [H.H. PAT(ENT) 18xx]. Patent dates also appear on coin pieces by Wood & Hughes, Gorham, and others throughout the Coin period. I have seen examples from the 1840's through the '80's. At least one of the Polhemus date stamps I have seen had a missing 1, reading 8xx -- perhaps this is the one. [This message has been edited by swarter (edited 04-21-2004).] IP: Logged
ellabee Posts: 306 Registered: Dec 2007	posted 12-01-2008 03:07 AM Paul and swarter were correct; just to add the specifics, the spoon is in the Polhamus pattern 'Diamond', issued patent #2772 on August 27, 1867. I've seen other examples in which the year is more clearly marked: 'JP Patent 867'. It's not uncommon for the '1' to be left off the patent year in these kinds of marks. It also happens occasionally that the marked patent date is off a year or two from when the patent was actually issued -- a case of the maker "counting his chickens". This happened with Henry Hebbard and Polhamus' Empire pattern, patented in 1858 but marked 'Patent 1857'. I'm not aware of any examples where the marked patent date is off by decades, though. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 12-01-2008 09:22 AM IP: Logged

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