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I have a Bon Bon or Nut Spoon that is clearly marked:
STERLING.
Yet it has what appears to be English Hallmarks.
It shows the anchor (for Birmingham?)
Then a small "m" in a "shield" (for 1911")
Then it has the Lion Passant
I've heard that if it is from England it is shouldn't have the word STERLING on it at all.
So now I am stumped.
The piece looks like (if it is E in a leaf, rather than an M) Ellis. If the anchor is in the middle, it was not intended, but is not entirely unusual in the mark because Gorham made a few silver patterns for Ellis, who were retailers more than manufacturers (including this pattern which is known as Louis XV in Canada) and occasionally, Ellis chose to overstamp the Gorham marks, sometimes moderately successfully, sometimes not. Because it made for messy marks, sometimes they just overstamped the Gorham G with the Ellis E in a leaf mark, and left the anchor in the centre (the lion end spot was pretty much similar). I have bought Ellis flatware sets that were not purchased all at once, and have run across this weird stamping before. The Ellis marks are fairly deep and crisp if they did the original stamp, and the correct order (from left to right) is anchor on its side, E in a leaf, and lion passant. If it is a Gorham overstamp by Ellis, you should see the Gorham anchor in the middle. It is not too uncommon to find an improperly or casually done overstamp where the mark looks like part Gorham and part Ellis, and sometimes the Gorham marks were not overstamped at all, just left on and they simply stamped Ellis next to it on the back of the flatware.
Cordially, Fiona
