Thought I would start putting together some information on Elkington date marks.
What follows is a basic outline for dating Elkigton silverplate pieces.
1840.
1841 thru 1848. numbers 1 thru 8 in a lozenge.
In 1849 changed from numbers to letters starting with K... K.....L.....M....N.....O.....P....Q.....R.....S.....T.....U.....V....W.....X.....Y.....Z
1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864
B, C, I and J were omitted. Q and R were both used in 1877...A.....D.....E.....F.....G....H.....K.....L.....M....N.....O.....P....QR.....S....T.....U.....V....W.....X.....Y.....Z
1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885
..A.....B.....C.....D.....E.....F.....G.....H.....I.....J.....K.....l.....M
1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898
..N.....O.....P.....Q.....R.....S....T.....U.....V.....W....X.....Y.....Z
1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911
Q was omitted...A.....B.....C.....D.....E.....F.....G.....H.....I.....J.....K.....L.....M
1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924
..N.....O.....P.....R.....S.....T.....U.....V....W.....X.....Y.....Z
1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936
C and Q omitted...A.....B.....D.....E.....F.....G.....H.....I.....J.....K.....L.....M
1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948
..N.....O.....P.....R.....S.....T.....U.....V....W.....X.....Y.....Z
1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960
..A.....B.....C.....D.....E.....F.....G.....H.....I.....J.....K.....L.....M
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973
..N.....O.....P.....Q.....R.....S....T.....U.....V.....W....X.....Y.....Z
1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986
The name of the firm was Elkington, Mason & Company from 1842 to 1864.
We often see the same date mark ( S in top two pictures ) with the E M & Co. or E & Co. marks.
Suggest going by the date letter only on these pieces.
Around 1898 the use of a crown in a catouche on British silverplate was banned.
1876 Elkington trade card.
.
'A' - 1937