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 American Silver before sterling
 Inspired by Polly and the Strawberry cup
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| Author | Topic: Inspired by Polly and the Strawberry cup |
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jt251 Posts: 25 |
posted 06-09-2009 01:17 PM
  
[26-1858] I just loved the coin silver cup with the strawberries that Polly showed in the Strawberries! and a mark question, and of course, thought I’d like to have one too. Well, I didn’t get strawberries but . . . I went to an auction just this past weekend and rummaged through a box that contained a bunch of silverplate including one cup with a broken handle that was inside the cup. It was pretty tarnished and I almost didn’t give it a second look but then I noticed that it had some repousse work on it. I hoped, of course, for strawberries, but saw some oak leaves and acorns, not nearly as charming. I flipped the cup over and saw a name on the bottom which meant nothing to me. So, even though it was broken and didn’t have a ‘sterling’ mark or any hallmarks that I could see, I decided that I’d buy it if it met my McDonald’s test ( meaning that it would be less than lunch for two at McD’s), thinking that I’d learn something from it. I bought the cup and did some research as soon as I returned home. The good news is that it was made or retailed by W. Carrington who founded the firm W. Carrington & Co in Charleston, SC in 1835 and continued in business until 1872 when the name of the company changed. I don’t think it is a raised piece as I can see concentric circles in the base. Would a guess of coin silver be correct? The marks on the bottom are W. Carrington & Co with two faint pseudo hallmarks. The handle is a big question to me. I’d appreciate people’s thoughts on this. The handle was on the cup at one time as the cut out on the body of the cup is a perfect fit for the piece on the handle. Why was the cutout done instead of a spot “weld”? There is also some beading on the handle that matches the beading on the cup edge, but there is an very small open space on the cup when the handle is in place. Could this be the original handle? So thanks, Polly for your inspiration! I wouldn’t have given the cup a second look if it hadn’t been for your strawberry piece. IP: Logged |
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FredZ Posts: 1070 |
posted 06-09-2009 07:03 PM
It appears that your cup is complete and with the aid of a good hand and a laser welder this cup could be made good. Not certain what the cost might be and I suspect it would be worth the money to have it repaired. Best, IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 06-09-2009 11:14 PM
Oh, how exciting, JT!! What a wonderful find! Are you just crowing with glee? I would be. Can you show us a photo of the marks on the bottom? And a close-up of the acorns? More experienced silver folks can correct me if I'm wrong, but I bet the handle wasn't cut out, but torn off. My strawberry cup's handle is tearing away at the top a little. I expect if I filled the cup with something heavy and lifted it by the handle too often, the handle would break off just like yours. I think you should follow Fred's advice and fine a careful, experienced silversmith with a laser welder to repair your cup. Then take a photo for me with oak leaves and acorns, okay? IP: Logged |
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jt251 Posts: 25 |
posted 06-10-2009 09:30 AM
Thanks Polly and Fred for your comments and suggesting that I have the cup repaired using a laser. I wasn't sure that the handle was original to the cup. I think your idea that the handle may have torn off is a good one, Polly. Nice of folks to keep the two pieces together! I am thrilled with the cup--it is my first piece of coin silver and a real treat. I do owe this find to you, Polly, so a big thanks once again. Here is a closeup of the acorns and the bottom markings as you requested. I still think your strawberries are prettier!
IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 06-10-2009 10:36 AM
What could be stronger than an oak motif. It's beautiful! Hope you get a good repair. IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 06-10-2009 02:41 PM
I just love that! I like your acorns at least as much as my strawberries. Can you show a full photo of the bottom, too? I suspect it may have been hand raised, because the handle--which is clearly original--has that pompous rococo-revival look popular in the 1840s and 50s, and I think that was before silversmiths started using the spinning technique. (Experts, please correct me if I'm wrong!) The concentric circles could just be from polishing. Did you look for the "small centering punch mark in the middle of the outer bottom of the cup" that Stuart mentioned in the thread about my strawberry cup as an indication that it's hand raised? IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 06-10-2009 02:42 PM
PS: I especially like the way the acorn has an empty acorn cap next to it. IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 06-10-2009 03:17 PM
I very much like the cup, but to my eye the handle just doesn't look quite like it stylistically belongs. It may very well be original to the cup and either that was the 'taste' of the maker, or it could have been a generic handle made by some other maker that the cup maker bought to use on various cups he made over the years. I guess the proof would be to find a photo or two of some other cups by this maker to see whether what kind of handles (or non-handles i.e. beaker) styles he used. Your thought that the handle may have been added at some later point in the cups life is another possibility - a smith either converting a beaker form into a handled cup form or replacing a broken handle. Whatever it is, I like it and restoring it to a useable form would be nice. [This message has been edited by Kimo (edited 06-10-2009).] IP: Logged |
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bascall Posts: 1629 |
posted 06-10-2009 03:29 PM
William Carrington was born in England in about 1802. In 1850 he is listed in St Michael and St Phillip, Charleston, South Carolina as a watchmaker. During the civil war years after South Carolina came back under Federal control, William paid taxes for working as a repairer. Trade restrictions with the North must have curtailed his retail business some. Here are some more pieces with the W Carrington & Co mark that were found on Google Books: Palmetto silver By Karen Klein Swager [link gone from the Internet] If you don't use google books much, once you get to the above site search Carrington. There's not that much to see, but there is a group of cups included. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 06-10-2009 04:53 PM
Two interesting cups (one hand raised and one spun) are discussed at an earlier thread on Francis W. Cooper . If you want to see the cups, the suggested Google® search for “Francis W. Cooper coin child's cups” still works. As Ulysses noted, Francis Cooper must have changed his method of manufacturing sometime between 1863 and 1866. IP: Logged |
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jt251 Posts: 25 |
posted 06-11-2009 11:01 AM
Thanks for all the comments. Polly, here are pictures of the base and a picture looking inside the cup to the bottom. The base picture doesn't really show much, other than there isn't an indentation mark, but on the inside picture the concentric circles show fairly well. Like you, I'd be interested in knowing the timing of the shift from raised silver to spun silver. Bascall, thanks for the information on Carrington and for the Google books reference. I was completely unfamiliar with Google books and it is a real treat to see! And thanks to Kimo too. Based on his suggestion I did a search to look for other cups by the maker to compare handles. I did find one very similar in form to mine which sold at auction a few years ago. I hope it is ok to post the picture --the handle doesn't show too well but it does have that little flower in it. Thanks again for your help. IP: Logged |
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