Vliess and Schwerter flatware

[john williams]

I have several hunderd pieces of Vliess silverware with 100 marked on these and Schwerter silverware with 90 marked on them.I have done a extensive on-line search and can't find any information anywhere on Vliess and very little on Schwerter.Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thank you.john
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[silverport]

Hello

Your cutlery is plated - before Second World War cutlery normally was plated 90 gram pure silver on 24 pieces of cutlery (12 soup spoon and 12 table fork = more or less a quarter square meter of surface to be plated = 3.75 gram per unit). The "better" one were plated with 100 gram = more or less 4 gram per unit. [Now is most times usual to use 150 gram.]

VLIES was trademark of Wötzel & Co. GmbH - Factory of Cutlery - settled in Aue, province Saxony, Germany.

Aue and its near surrounding were one of the German centre for cutlery production (A. Wellner Söhne, Gowe, C.F. Hutschenreuter, Wötzel & Co., ...). Before this has happen, has start there Dr. Geitner with production of basic material »Argentan« = a copper-zink-nickel-alloy - and one of his first client be came August Wellner, a cabinet maker, and his son-in-low Hutschenreuter making spoon and other products.

SCHWERTE was trademark of VDNS Vereinigte Deutsche Nickel-Werke, Schwerte (Ruhr), Germany. Company was first Herbers, Witte & Co., Iserlohn. 1851 Dr. Theodor Fleitmann - after he had studied chemistry and was promoted by Justus von Liebig, be came director and by his inventively short time later co-owner of then Fleitmann & Witte, Jserlohn. In 1868 they have buy a terrain in Schwerte, where since 1867 the new Ruhr valley railway traject was under construction. By time and while of some year premise in Iserlohn was moved totally to Schwerte. Dr. Fleitmann had in between invented some production methods for combinations with nickel or nickel alloy.

In about 1902 they've start with their own cutlery production. After World War One they've made hollow ware and flatware products, designed by the architect Carl Hermann Josef Schmitz.

In their Art Nouveau period as also in their Art Déco period they've made famous products. Well, in same periods they've made also products for "Everybody".

Successor of both primary materials producing company - Dr. Geitner's »Auerhammer« as also that of Dr. Fleitmann, VDNS - being now »Deutsche Nickel GmbH« - look: http://www.deutsche-nickel.de" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

VLIES and SCHWERTE is now history!

Kind regards silverport
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[dognose]

Hi John,

Welcome to the Forum.

This article may also be of interest to you.

http://www.925-1000.com/a_platenumbers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Trev.
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[silverport]

Hello John William

Is it possible for you to place here in the Forum some photographs of your flatware pattern? Pattern is maybe in a "clean" style?

Your flatware is maybe flatware for public gastronomy - because main cutlery production destination of both above mentioned company's was for hotel, restaurant, cruz ship ...

Thank you in advance!

Kind regards silverport
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[admin]

A photograph of the marks would be most appreciated.
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[john williams]

Thank you so much taking the time to answer my questions about this silverware on this web-site.I am a physician who knows very little about silver and i really appreciate the help and hope i can reciprocate in the future.I will be a regular reader of your articles and again i can't thank everyone who sent a answer enough.I will post pictures of this silverware soon.Sincerly John Williams
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