posted 10-03-2004 03:26 PM            

Hi,

Not sure why but I went and bought some antique silver at a fair a few days a go because it looked quite nice (at the time). I say antique, thinking about it it's probably tat. Thing is I don't know anything about silver and so I probably shouldn't have dabbled.

Anyway it got my interested and to be honest I still am a little. However I've done a few web searches for the hallmarks but I'm a bit disheartened as I can't find them anywhere. So they are probably just fakes or something. I can only find the "s" which looks like London 1853? I was wondering if anyone could tell me what they are. I've been told they are silver but I just don't know. They may be plate or something. Would buying a book about silver have all the marks, I mean more then on the web? Anyway, here's the photo's and I hope the items don't bore you too much! (I liked them). Sorry if this post doesn't work out right, trying to figure this out.

fiona

This set of knives

Have these markings

and this knife with a plastic handle

Has these marks



Oh sorry about the rubbish pics.

Thanks for looking!!

posted 10-04-2004 12:22 AM            

And I like your pieces - the fish-knives, fork and serving knife have a nice art deco look to them. I would guess a date of c.1930 or later, perhaps up to the 1950s.

However, I hope you didn't pay too much for them. The gothic letters EPNS indicate electro-plated nickel silver - ie silverplate.
If this is the only mark, it suggests they were not made by a top manufacturer who would almost certainly have stamped them with his name or mark as well.

Your other knife, with the plastic handle, is probably by a Sheffied manufacturer (hence the "S"), although I don't know who. It too is silverplate. English silver marks are very different.

Books on "pure" silver will not include these marks. And, although there are books on silverplate marks, your knife is probably too recent to be included.

Sorry!