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 American Silver before sterling
 Faux Hallmarks, again
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| Author | Topic: Faux Hallmarks, again |
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mdhavey Posts: 164 |
posted 08-22-2005 09:28 PM
  
Here's a big, heavy place fork (8-1/4" and 2.5 oz.) that was being sold as a plated article. It's not plated, it is solid silver, but its heaviness reminds be of continental silver, not coin. Usually the faux marks, if on coin indicate a New York maker. I haven't been able to find these marks in any of the usual places (Kovels, Flynt & Fales, Ensko, Wyler, Ineson-Bissell). On the other hand, the marks don't look particularly continental. Any thoughts?
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Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 08-23-2005 09:46 AM
Hi, Sorry, but it the fork is either plated or of a nickel silver alloy. The marks are typical in style for English silverplate, and are for John Yates & Sons of Birmingham. Yates has caused problems for coin silver collectors for years, especially his "YATES" mark which appears in many lists of coin silver marks. His nickel silver also looks a lot like coin, so it can be deceiving. Anyway, the seller was correct, but don't feel bad! Brent IP: Logged |
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mdhavey Posts: 164 |
posted 08-23-2005 12:54 PM
Well, now I know, though one can't help but feel a bit foolish! It's definitely an alloy of some sort, the scalpel test shows no plating. Actually, this feels so much like silver that it could pass muster on most tables--it even has a slight bluish tinge that bespeaks age. They're good, John Yates & Son... Brent, any idea when they were working? IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 08-24-2005 05:41 PM
Some years ago I brought some fiddle thread forks marked R.B. White Metal. They look just like coin, but they are pewter of the Britannia type. They do blend in with coin silver and also have an advantage in that they do not tarnish. I do not have any information about the R.B. White Metal Company and I have not seen any hollowware by them. I have a feeling that this alloy came about just before electroplating became the dominate means to lower costs. Either the public wanted silver, even if it was not solid, or the white metal alloy cost more to make than silver plated items and could not compete on cost. In either case the white metal that closely resembled silver seems to have had a fairly short commercial life. IP: Logged |
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Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 08-25-2005 09:15 AM
The Yates company was quite prolific, and seems to have been around for quite a while. Probably most of the 2nd half of the 19th C, though I do not know for certain. I did a thread in the coin silver forum a while back about silverplate marks that had fooled me into thinking they were coin. I'll see if I can find it for you! Brent IP: Logged |
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