posted 09-06-2001 05:11 AM              

The piece is a 12 pair set of fish fork and knives. There is a makers mark on the back of the knives and it looks just like this.........

()= OLVAL STAMP
(WH)(&)(S)(B)(?)

This set is an heirloom that my mother gave me prior to her having a brain aneurysm she survived the surgery but her memory is gone and she has no idea about it's origin.

There is a tag which appears to be an appraisers id or it's the original sales tag identifying the set
It says (Old English Plate) then in writing:

()12 prs fish fork and knives
(Number 108 n.y.
Circa 1860

All the handles are of ivory which is very yellowed some have cracks the knives have ornament engravings of what appears to be trout fish showing 2 on each knife with cattails and brush. On the ivory handles there is a dragon which appears to have been stamped into it mid-blade there is a ornament of some kind engraved into the mid section of the knife.

I have a scanner if you would like me to send a scanned picture of a knife and fork.

All I remember my mother telling me is that it was recovered from a plantation in the south and her great grandmother bought it at an auction. Possibly in 1950's .

My wife has also brought it to my attention that it could be of Japanese origin
I'm registered

posted 09-06-2001 09:39 AM            

Your set is almost certainly Victorian, but it is difficult to pin down an exact date. It could be as early as the 1850's, or as late as the 1900's. The ivory handles sound very interesting. They could well be Japanese. After the "opening" of Japan to the west in the 1850's, large amounts of Japanese goods made their way to the United States, England, and other places. Your handles could well have been carved in Japan and exported to England for assembly. A scan would be helpful to determine if this is a possibility.

As for the plantation story, we can't discount it. Southern customers bought a lot of English goods prior to the Civil War, and your set could conceivavbly have been among them.

I hope this answers your questions, but please post a scan of the set if possible; we would love to see it!