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unknown date etc re a silver pill box round, 3cm w,1cm h.
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 1:45 am
by TRVEMAIL
i have a wonderfull round silver pill box.
the hall marks are as follows from left to right.
B& CO an anchor that tells me birmingham.
a silver mark for 925 sterling.
and the letter h but the h is curved both top and bottom on left and on bottom only of right hand side.
could it possible be 1831?
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 5:52 am
by nigel le sueur
The "h" for Birmingham for 1831 is very distinctive, it is in lower case and very elaborate ie the sort of h you would find on manuscripts, as for B and Co, are you sure it is a B and not a E ?
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 6:17 am
by TRVEMAIL
nigel le sueur wrote:The "h" for Birmingham for 1831 is very distinctive, it is in lower case and very elaborate ie the sort of h you would find on manuscripts, as for B and Co, are you sure it is a B and not a E ?
iff it was an e & co who would the maker be?
with regards trevor vernon
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 6:42 am
by nigel le sueur
E & Co were a firm who had a very wide range of silverware, they were also described as important and that quality is always superb, the two E & Co marks for that time (1831?) could of been a E & Co in an oval inpress or possibly an oblong shape, l am not sure when the Ld (Ltd) came into being, it would be possible to look furthur but until you are sure that is is an "h" as described and that it is an E , E & Co is Elkington and co.
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 6:25 am
by Waylander
A bit of history:
"Elkington & Co. are one of the most important names in English silver and certainly the most important in silver plate - they invented it!
They began life in Birmingham as a company of silversmiths in 1836, and experimented with improving gilding techniques. By 1838 they had discovered and patented a new way to electroplate one metal on to the surface of another. By 1840 production was already underway with silver electroplated wares. The company received financial backing from Josiah Mason in 1842 (renaming the firm Elkington, Mason & Co between 1842 and 1861) and was extremely successful. It introduced electrotyping as a new method of production for silver plated items. Elkington & Co exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 with enormous success. They held Royal Warrants for Queen Victoria, King Edward VI, King George V, King Edward VIII and King George VI.
As a company they produced huge quantities of EPNS flatware, and it is always the best quality that you can find, with the original silver plate generally still being in fine condition today. Elkington & Co developed a date lettering system, so all their silver plated items can be accurately dated. They produced silver flatware too, this can be found in both traditional and unique patterns.
The Elkington & Co. name is still in use today as manufacturers under the auspices of British Silverware Ltd."
Waylander