posted 10-20-2012 03:25 PM            

Also, and most importantly, verbal descriptions are almost impossible to identify as there are so many different markings on both silver and especially silver plated base metal such as your service. Please take some nice well lit, sharp photos of the overall items in your tea service and then some extra close-ups of the markings on them. Please read the how to post photos section by clicking on the how to post photos hotlink in the big yellow box at the top of the page that says "Please Read Before You Post" in flashing red letters.

posted 10-23-2012 05:27 PM            

I saw that, however I am not allowed to post to that thread.

posted 10-23-2012 05:54 PM            

"William Armson, Esq.

For seventeen years, from 1841 to 1857, inclusive Reeve of the township of West Gwillimbury and for eight consecutive years from 1846 to 1853 inclusive Warden of the County of Simcoe, this tea service is presented by the inhabitants of the above named township and of the village of Bradford, therein as a token of their appreciation of his long continued and faithful performance of his public duties.

West Gwillimbury C.W. March 1858"

In addition to this inscription, each of the other pieces have his initials "WA" inscribed on the side in large fancy script.

We tried to photograph the marks, but they were too faint. However, the description is accurate. in addition, there are ceramic rings on the handles of the teapots near where they attach to the pot. Here are photos of the set:

posted 10-24-2012 02:36 PM            

The marking that you cannot read above the VR would be a crown. Perhaps when someone in your family had your tea service replated the plater went a little far and it the crown marking might have been filled in during the process?

The numbers and letter are just pattern numbers used by the factory and the retailers for easy tracking of stock. It is much easier to refer to a number to identify the exact model of an item than to try to describe it with words.

The VR marking and the obscured crown are thought by most people to be a reference to Victoria Regina who was the monarch at that point in history. It does not mean that it was made for her or her household, it is just a marketing trick to give the impression of quality to potential buyers so they will be more likely to buy it.

While I have seen many examples of holloware with this marking (they come up on the big internet auction site and elsewhere regularly) I have never seen a certain attribution of the maker. The one attribution I have seen most often and makes sense is the name of the company that produced these was the Superior Electro Plate Company, but that is only a guess and hopefully someone here who knows more about this than I do will know for sure.

My guess as to where it was made is in the UK. I have seen these coming not only from Canada but also from other Commonwealth countries which leads me to think that the most reasonable alternative is they were made in the UK somewhere and exported to the commonwealth countries during the 1800s. This is only a guess though.

The white 'ceramic' rings on the handles are actually made of bone (likely cow bone). It was a much less costly material and widely available in quantity. Ceramic would have been a little brittle for this heavy use application. The purpose of the rings is to insulate the handle. Boiling hot water in the pot would rapidly heat not only the body of the pot but also the handle to the point where you could burn your hand so they used bone (or sometimes blackened wood) rings to insulate the handles from the rest of the metal of the pots.

Your 5 piece coffee and tea service is a basic one and the set that most people have. Often, though, you find 6 or more piece services. Typically the 6th piece would be a waste bowl. Additional pieces on more elaborate services can be things like a hot chocolate pot, a spooner, etc. Is there any chance your sevice has additional pieces tucked away somewhere in the attic or with another family members that could be brought out to fill out your service?