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I recently acquired an American coin silver folding fruit knife and need help in identifying maker. The good news is it has makers marks. The bad news is I can't find positive proof of the maker in any of the resources I've turned to.
I did find a nearly identical set of maker's marks on one site for Michael Gibney, who was active in NYC between 1836 - 1860, which is consistent with the date stamped of 1844. But instead of the letters M over G, this knife has the letters G over P. http://www.chineseargent.com/home/michael-gibney
That site has a Gale & Hayden (1845-50). Gale & Son began 1821. Became Gale & North 1860. Evolved into Dominick & Haff which continued use of this type mark. Not knowing didly squat about New York smiths, I'd be looking for a Gale & P possible (Partners?). But I often go in the wrong direction!
I have come across an identical knife to yours with the mark for Albert Coles. It's on what is probably the best known online auction site.
I don't know who "GP" is, but I would be looking for the first and last name of a single person. Gideon Peck of New York City a silversmith fits the era of your knife. Sorry, but I have nothing solid to go on.
From Doggett's 1846-7 NYC Directory: Gideon Peck, Jr. silversmith, Cortlandt alley n. (near) Walker, h. (home) 89 Marion. [Father is carman with same home address.]
From History of Seventh Regiment of New York: Commissioned Officers...3rd Company 2nd Lieut.'s...Gideon Peck, Jr. (in 1852).
(I replied earlier using my mobile phone but the message seems not to have made it to this site. So I'll ask the indulgence of this site's moderator if a duplicate shows up and has to be deleted.)
Thanks very much, traintime, for a most informative and helpful response. The Silver Salon Forum site has the exact same marks as the one on my knife but, since it has no explicit attribution of the corresponding silversmith, I suspect that at least for now a plausible guess on possible candidates is as close as I'll get to an identification. Kovel's _American Silver, Pewter and Silver Plate_ cites a George Platt (c. 1820--founded company?) who worked out of New York City. This could be another possible candidate. I'm getting the impression that concepts like copyrights and registered logos had yet to be applied in the relatively low regulation climate of mid-to -early 19th century silversmiths, so they felt free to "borrow" and tailor to their own purposes the pseudo-hallmarks of other silversmiths.
