www.925-1000.com

Not knowing where I stashed my pattern books, I once again referred to a known site to establish this sample with worn mark was Reed & Barton's Commonwealth Pattern. (I was able to find one railroad application to determine the pattern had been available for commercial useage.) However, the 1939 date given for the pattern bothered me as the blade seems to be plating over base metal rather than stainless steel. Luckily, checking here, I find Trev posted an ad from 1912 showing the pattern was available at least through old-supplier Burley & Company of Chicago (absorbed by Albert Pick within a few years). Anyone got an earlier date for this pattern?

Link to Trev's advert.: http://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... th+pattern

This and several other patterns are mentioned in Hotel Monthly March 1912 in ad for available ice tea spoons from R. & B., but you'll need to goooogle the book (no commercial links rule).

And now a (non-commercial) link showing Lackawanna Railroad patterns placing Commonwealth in approximately 1910: https://www.eldcps.org/pdfs/newsletters ... on2005.pdf

An exactly matched cocktail fork with this NHF on Commonwealth appears on eBay. I think a commercial user likely. Oddly, the "N" letter style also matches that in the "N.Y.C.R.R." for New York Central's service in this pattern. (A lost special pattern for one of the named "Flyer" trains is a longshot at this point.)

Slightly off-topic, but a reference to Albert Pick & Co.'s acquisition of Burley & Tyrrell of whom mention is made in the opening post:

Much interest was shown in the jewelry trade last week over the passing of the Burley & Tyrrell Co., one of the oldest high grade pottery, glass, and silverware firms in the city. The company did both a wholesale and retail business. The stock, good will and accounts of the company were all taken over by Albert Pick & Co., a firm in the same field, and also one of the largest distributors at wholesale in the country. The silverware department of the Burley & Tyrrell Co., at 7 N. Wabash Ave., was one of the finest in the city. It is possible that Albert Pick & Co. will continue the retail store at the present address, since it is an ideal location with a low lease which has many years still to run. While Albert Pick & Co. also has a retail silverware department, it is located at 214 W. Randolph St., in the wholesale section of the city. The entire sales force of the Burley & Tyrrell Co. will probably be annexed by Albert Pick & Co. The wind-up of the Burley & Tyrrell Co. was not entirely unexpected. The death of W. O. Coleman, president of the firm, a few months ago, and the subsequent resignation of William Ford, sales manager were the determining factors, it is said, in the decision of the company to leave the field. The Burley & Tyrrell Co. started in business’ more than 30 years ago, and was a consolidation of Burley & Co., a retail concern, and Burley & Tyrrell, wholesale merchants.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 19th March 1919

Trev.

R&B Commonwealth has been determined to be the pattern supplied with topmarking for The White Pelican hotel of Klamath Falls Oregon which opened in 1911 (destroyed forevermore by fire in 1926). From the Maddock American china service used there, it is known that Albert Pick of Chicago was the commercial wares supplier. Presumably then, Pick was already dealing in this pattern at the same time as Burley some years before the purchase of that competitor. At least one tray item in plated ware is known to be Reed & Barton for The White Pelican, as well as a 1-pint teapot (in a style whose pattern may date back to the 1880’s era).

We can add Hotel Oakland (topmarked script) to early users from a tablespoon with the Pat. Applied For backstamp. The large hotel in Oakland California did indeed open in 1912 at the very time we find this pattern was available to commercial users.