please help unknown hallmark " onc "

timothy1944 · Post by **timothy1944** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:49 pm

this is a small ladle , like a sauce ladle .. hallmarked ... ONC Sterling .. does someone know this mark ... thanks in advance ..Tim....

SilverSurfer · Post by **SilverSurfer** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:30 am

"ONC" stands for "Old Newbury Crafters". Bad news: the piece isn't "old" as its style indicates. ONC "remakes" a number of patterns in the hand made style of two hundred or so years ago. Good news: ONC makes good, faithful reproductions that are, IMO, aesthetically more pleasing than 95% of the more ornate punch press patterns made since. Well, just my opinion. The style of your piece is "fiddle pattern", which had a rather wide timespan of popularity, from approx. 1800 to nearly a hundred years later, though more ornate patterns came to the fore in around 1850. The height of the popularity of this pattern was perhaps around 1835. I don't have info re the ONC marks, but am guessing that your piece was made within the last thirty or so years.

SS

timothy1944 · Post by **timothy1944** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:20 am

thank you very kindly Tim...

Post by **admin** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:25 pm

More good news, ONC is a well regarded firm, they still create many of their pieces by hand. Here's a link to their site with the company history.

ONC History

Post by **dragonflywink** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:56 am

The piece shown would have been made before 1956, O.N.C, started adding the word "HANDWROUGHT" to all work then, after 1965 all pieces bear the individual silversmith's mark.

Cheryl ;o)