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I have a question regarding an English sterling sugar castor we purchased. The hallmarks of the top of the castor indicate this was made in London in 1897. The maker's mark is "C.S over an H", Charles Stuart Harris, London. The hallmarks on the body of the castor are also marked for London, 1897, but it has a different maker's mark - "J.S over an H".

Can anyone help identify the maker's mark of J.S over an H (London)? Would this perhaps be a relative of Charles Stuart Harris, or another silversmith he worked with? We read on http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6253" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, the name of the firm became CS Harris & Sons Ltd. in 1904, and the mark changed.

It seems unusual to have two different maker's marks on a two-piece item. Can anyone provide some insight? Thank you in advance.
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different makers' marks for the parts suggest that one part broke or went missing and was replaced, or was added (usually later) for some other reason; it may even mean that the silver was incorrectly put back together after cleaning (if it came from a household with several similar items)
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It's interesting that these are dated 1897, because that was the year that Charles Stuart Harris converted to CS Harris & Sons, Ltd. I found a biography that listed the directors of the limited liability company, which included Henry, Walter, Edmund, Alfred and Frederick Stuart Harris, but no one whose name began with a J!
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Hi,

Is it possible that the JS could be an overstrike of the CS part of CSH mark? (If that makes any sense!)

Trev.
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Thank you all for your responses.
kerangoumar — You make some good points. As the design flows from the top cap to the bottom of the piece, I tend to believe the piece was made at one time. If part was added later, it should be hallmarked for a different year.
dmay — Thank you so much for your informative research. I read on the forum page listed above, the name of the firm changed in 1904, however your research indicates 1897. I am not sure when the maker’s mark changed.
dognose — Trev, Good idea. I went back over the piece very carefully and do not see an overstrike on the mark. We were told prior to purchase, all hallmarks were identical, however they are not.
The J.S over H (London) maker’s mark still remains a mystery. Thank you all again.
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