cs mark what is it?
cs mark what is it?
Hi all well im posting on here to find out what this spoon is made of, i've looked and looked on-line and found 4 different answers for what it is, the maker is J. G. Graves, Sheffield 1900-1914, they seem to mark there silver well they have sterling silver marks, epns and then they have cs. so what is it i've read its copper silver, german silver??? (GS) and what I think it is coin silver. and thanks in advance for your help
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orthogonal
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Re: cs mark what is it?
I am no expert in silverplate, but I found a similar mark attributed to JOHN G GRAVES OF SHEFFIELD CADDY SPOON.
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Essexboy Fisher
- contributor
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- Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 5:17 pm
Re: cs mark what is it?
Hello, I agree with Orthogonal, your photo shows makers marks that are likely to be those of “John George Graves” the Sheffield industrialist. The mark you have posted, is as illustrated on 927-1000’s silver plate reference section and also shown on the “silvercollection.it” web site.
The “CS” as you intimate could be “copper silver” but a mark resembling a bona fide silver makers’ mark could have economic advantages for selling electroplated products. Also incorporated in the big “arches” mark is a “crab-like” pseudo silver mark, possibly there for the same reason.
I have recently come across a spoon with this very similar mark.
The detail is not as well preserved as in your photo and the crab appears replaced with a "dot". There is also 1 less “arch”. The obvious assumption is that this is another mark of “J G Graves”. However as “Dognose” has suggested and shown in various other posts that illiteracy and maybe commercial pressure in the early electroplating period often gave rise to “copying” though at the start of the 20th century this should be less likely.
Yours
Fishless
Ps. There is another post about “J G Graves” on the forum but in “Silverplate Trademarks Worldwide" giving a further perspective on “J G G” marks.
The “CS” as you intimate could be “copper silver” but a mark resembling a bona fide silver makers’ mark could have economic advantages for selling electroplated products. Also incorporated in the big “arches” mark is a “crab-like” pseudo silver mark, possibly there for the same reason.
I have recently come across a spoon with this very similar mark.
The detail is not as well preserved as in your photo and the crab appears replaced with a "dot". There is also 1 less “arch”. The obvious assumption is that this is another mark of “J G Graves”. However as “Dognose” has suggested and shown in various other posts that illiteracy and maybe commercial pressure in the early electroplating period often gave rise to “copying” though at the start of the 20th century this should be less likely.
Yours
Fishless
Ps. There is another post about “J G Graves” on the forum but in “Silverplate Trademarks Worldwide" giving a further perspective on “J G G” marks.