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Coin or Plate?

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Author	Topic: Coin or Plate?
Barbara unregistered	posted 04-07-2001 09:40 PM I have some spoons and forks sold by Ball, Black & Co. How can I tell if they are coin or plate? They are in kings pattern and are extremely heavy. Thanks, Barbara IP: Logged
Brent Posts: 1507 Registered: May 99	posted 04-08-2001 08:35 AM Hmmm... Ball, Black and Co. were prestigious retailers of fine silver, especially in the years right around the Civil War. If your pieces just say "Ball, Black & Co.", they are probably coin. If there is an A1, XII or some other designation, they are probably plated. Check the high points of the design, especially where the pieces rest on the table. If the design is worn, but no base metal is showing through, it is more likely to be coin. The forks should be easy; if the tips of the tines are worn down at all without any wear-through, they are definitely coin. I hope this helps. IP: Logged
Barbara unregistered	posted 04-11-2001 10:24 AM Hi, Brent -- Thanks for the guidance. I have just checked all the points you mentioned. On one fork (only), one of the outer tines is worn 1/16" shorter than the others, with no base metal revealed. Is that enough wear so that if it's plate, it would show through? Also, there are no markings I know that would indicate plate -- but I know very little about plate. There are, however, tiny markings (much smaller than pseudos), not all the same on all the pieces of this set, such as an impressed diamond, a "Y," and what looks like a reversed "J." (I am not up to providing photos.) Could those markings indicate plate in some way? Regards, Barbara Regards, IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 04-11-2001 11:57 AM If the marks are much smaller than pseudo-hallmarks, perhaps they are French import marks? I know these marks are VERY tiny! Just a thought. IP: Logged
Brent Posts: 1507 Registered: May 99	posted 04-11-2001 01:15 PM The tine wear pretty much confirms that your pieces are coin. Most Ball, Black and Co. pieces are solid silver, whether coin or sterling, so it is not surprising. As for the other marks, early pattern flatware often has little letter marks like yours, the significance of which is still unknown. So, you have some nice pieces in a desirable pattern by a pretigious retailer. Enjoy them! Brent IP: Logged
Barbara unregistered	posted 04-12-2001 10:56 PM Brent, it's getting to be just like "Antiques Road Show" around here. These forks and spoons appear to be throwaways from one archdiocese or another: they have engraved on them, in place of initials or a name, what appears to be a bishop's hat. Anyway, thanks very much for the info. Paul, it never occurred to me that silver being retailed in the U.S. might be imported -- and yet I gather that many jewelers also advertised that they were importers. Still, didn't that tariff in the 1840's mostly end the importing of flatware? Barbara IP: Logged
Trefid Posts: 96 Registered: Nov 99	posted 04-19-2001 08:17 PM Another possibility re the small marks is that they are "journeyman's marks." In some silversmith's shops, the person who actually made the spoon would mark it with a small device assigned to him--either a number or other identifying mark, such as a tiny star. I don't know if this is the reason for every piece found with a single-digit number, however. IP: Logged

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