Fish set: sterling or coin? Date??

[SusanWhite]

Yeah! It's terrific to have the forums open again!! Thank You, Tom and Admin for your dedication and perseverance!

We have a fish set that is made by Gorham, has no date stamp and isn't stamped either 925 or Sterling ... it's in the Grecian pattern [1861] and so "should" be stamped, if sterling ... the owner is convinced it is sterling and says the rampant lion is the indicator of its sterling status.

Any help with this would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks!
Susan

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[2209patrick]

Hello Susan, your fish set is sterling. Gorham only used the Lion, Anchor and G mark on sterling and coin silver. This piece is too late to be coin silver. If it were silverplate it would be marked with an anchor in a sheild mark without the Lion and G.
Gorham did not put date codes on their flatware.
Only on British silver does a lion rampart or passant indicate a fineness of .925. Gorham's lion is just a pseudo mark.

Regards,
Pat.
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[admin]

Hi Susan,
There is a lot of confusion about American ware from this transitional period and whether a piece is made of sterling or coin. To my mind, whether one or the other, really doesn't matter. More importantly, as Patrick pointed out, it is silver, not plate and is quite beautiful and great that it is in its presentation case.
It may be sterling, but is more likely coin. The pattern "Grecian" was patented in 1861 and Gorham did not switch to sterling standard until around 1868. The change was a marketing device to increase sales, and Gorham pointedly began to mark their wares with a sterling mark to bring attention to their use of a higher standard. Grecian was probably produced for a few years after 1868, but pieces produced after the date were likely to be stamped with a sterling mark.
Regards, Tom
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[SusanWhite]

Dear Tom and Pat,

Thank you both very much for the input ... I did look at everything I could find online to help us determine the type of silver, but as Tom pointed out, I discovered that this set fell into a sort of "blank space" for Gorham until they switched over to date stamping in 1868. I didn't know if anyone here had more light to shed on it ... but the owner [I guess I should really say "donor"] was pleased by your admiration and willing to accept your ideas about the set with equanimity ... so my gratitude to you both!

It is a beautiful set and the presentation box is really lovely despite the wear and tear on it. I wish I had a photograph of the designwork on the top cover, but I don't....

Thanks again, it is much appreciated.
Susan
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