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tline3open  M H & Co sugar caster identification?

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Author Topic:   M H & Co sugar caster identification?
Viper

Posts: 10
Registered: Oct 2005

iconnumber posted 10-25-2005 01:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Viper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I recently picked up a silver plated sugar caster at auction to use for the holidays because it was in such great shape. Unfortunately I can not determine who made it.

There is a tiny shield with "M H" on the first line and "& Co" on the second.

There is also a row of marks next to it "E" "P" "N" "S" in script, each in its own little 'box'.

Under that is "B1631" if that helps ID this.

I wish I had a camera so I could show the marks. Does anyone know who this might be?

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Viper

Posts: 10
Registered: Oct 2005

iconnumber posted 10-25-2005 02:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Viper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My son just arrived with a camera and we took the best picture we could of the marks:

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tmockait

Posts: 963
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 10-25-2005 04:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for tmockait     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
EPNS stands for "electroplated nickel silver," and the number is probably an order or pattern number, quite common on mass produced items. There was an M.Fred Hirsch and Company of Jersey City, NJ in business from ca 1920-45, but their mark is different. However, perhaps they used a different mark for silver plate.

Good luck,
Tom

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PhilO

Posts: 166
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 10-26-2005 03:18 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for PhilO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is the mark of Martin, Hall & Co (of Sheffield, England).

Phil

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Waylander

Posts: 131
Registered: Sep 2004

iconnumber posted 10-26-2005 05:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Waylander     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Some history:

"The original founder of this Sheffield firm, John Roberts, was in partnership with Henry Wilkinson. However, this partnership was dissolved in 1836 and his new apprentice, Ebenezer Hall, eventually became his partner in 1846.

In 1854 Roberts & Hall joined forces with Martin & Naylor to form Martin, Hall & Company. The company prospered, producing good quality silver and plate and sent their wares for hallmarking in London, Chester and Sheffield. In 1914 the company employed approximately 750 people. After the First World War business declined and the company went bankrupt in 1936."

Waylander

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Viper

Posts: 10
Registered: Oct 2005

iconnumber posted 10-26-2005 07:04 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Viper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you very much for that wealth of information.

This silver plate and not sterling?
Although my aged eyes have difficulty, I I read the additional marks correctly.

I couldn't find any silver plate marks for this company on the Internet.

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Kimo

Posts: 1627
Registered: Mar 2003

iconnumber posted 10-26-2005 11:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kimo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, definitely silver plate, not sterling. Whenever you see EPNS, no matter how fancy the letters are done to make them hard to read, it is silver plating on top of base metal (a nickel alloy).

Compared to silver makers, there are not a lot of references for silver plate makers since a maker can use pretty much whatever marking they like so long as it is not a exactly the same as those marks controlled by the government for marking silver. This tight government control on silver objects means that such markings are relatively well documented. Silver is also more intensively collected and so collectors have focused more of their effort on researching and documenting maker's markings on silver rather than plate markings.

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