www.925-1000.com

I wonder if anybody has any idea why the word STERLING has been rubbed out on this Alvin fork?

I have inherited 12 of these forks, and 10 matching teaspoons - every one of them looks like this on the back, with the Alvin logo clearly distinguishable, but only the first few letters of STERLING clear.




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Looks like William Penn.
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years of resting on the edge of a plate.
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Hope you don't mind these questions from a newcomer to the field -
how likely is it that all 10 teaspoons and all 12 forks would be almost identically worn this way?
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Sure, they were used by the same people with the same habits over a long period of time. The image illustrates what I meant in my earlier, hurried response. Each time the piece is placed or removed from this position, there is a small amount of friction between it and the dish edge and a minute amount of silver is worn away, over time that adds up.
I used this fork to show that the same happens to the tines, the shortened outside left tine is caused by it being the leading tine to touch the dish each time a forkful is taken (by a right hander).
Hope this helps.

Regards, Tom

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Very observant! Have looked this very moment at the ancient iron silver handled fork on my desktop. It is at least 200 yrs old and the british hallmarks & aristocrats crest hardly discernible. So ugly that the sole use I found for it is to scratch my back with it if the mood takes me. Now I see that the noble pre-owners of my fork were all right handed as the left tine of this three tined fork it does sport, is shortened and crooked somewhat. So the vagaries of time will eat away at the steel which does recall beginnings
of the Industrial Revolution!
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as nothing illustrates as well as picture so here it is:

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