posted 09-17-2003 09:34 PM            

I can say that in a fast search, I couldn't find it in Rainwater & Redfield, but there is a single turret castle mark on Irish sterling silver, so unless you have a good reason to think it is silverplate, you may be asking the wrong questions!

posted 09-18-2003 06:11 AM            

Your marks indicate the maker, but are sometimes known as pseudo-hallmarks. British silver legally has to be hallmarked with three stamps - usually a lion to indicate it is sterling quality silver, another symbol (e.g. anchor for Birmingham, crown for Sheffield, lion's face for London etc.)to indicate the assay office which tested the piece, and finally a letter which, according to the style, indicates the year.

Makers of silverplate often tried to imitate these official hallmarks to suggest the object was perhaps more "authentic" than it was. The crown in a shield was common, especially for Sheffield, until the late 19th. century (1896-7)when its use was legally supressed to avoid confusion.

I certainly echo Anuh's comment that a photo would be useful, both of the marks and of the piece itself to give a rough idea of possible date and region based on style.

You might like to look through
"Electroplated Nickel Silver, Old Sheffield Plate etc. Makers' Marks from 1784" by George Mappin, recently published by Foulsham Publishing.