THOMAS PRIME
THOMAS PRIME & SON
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MARKS - HALLMARKS - HISTORY

According to an ancient advertisement, the firm was founded in 1818.
Three Thomas Prime (father, son and grandson) were involved in the silverplate business: Thomas Prime Snr (1797-1881), Thomas Prime Jnr (1825-1892), and Thomas Tertius Prime (1856-?) [Tertius means "the third"].
In 1840 Thomas Prime Snr was active as close-plater at Northwood Street, Birmingham.
Prime developed a method of plating called Magnetic Plate and in 1844, to the plans of John Stephen Woolrich, was built a special machine to deposit silver, gold or copper (one of these machines was used also by Elkington).
In 1849 the firm advertised that "...Electro Deposition of Silver, Gold, &c. by the Agency of Magnetic Machinery was brought to practical perfection by him..." on White Metal, on Steel and in Superior German Silver. The firm was active at the Patent Magneto Plate Works, 18 and 19 Northwood Street, Birmingham with other premises at 49 Salisbury Square, Fleet Street, London.
In 1851 Thomas Prime Snr was joined in partnership by his son Thomas Prime Jnr trading as Thomas Prime & Son.
When Thomas Prime Snr died in Jan 1881 the business was for a short time run as a sole-trader by Thomas Prime Jnr. Then in that year, after the 31 Mar 1881 census, he admitted his son Thomas Tertius Prime, as a partner.
Once more Thomas Prime & Son had both a Thomas Prime (Thomas Prime Jnr) and a son (Thomas Tertius Prime). This was the partnership that was dissolved in 1891. The business was then again run for a short time as a sole-trader by Thomas Prime Jnr, until his death in May 1892. The child-less grandson, Thomas Tertius Prime, who had until 1891 been in partnership with his father Thomas Prime Jnr, then ran the business from May 1892 until the factory was closed in about 1900.
In 1890 the firm was active as "silversmiths and electroplaters" at 107 Ryland Street, Birmingham and in London Showrooms at 5 Charterhouse Street.
Thomas Prime participated to the London Great Exhibition of 1851, to Paris Exhibition of 1855 and to International Exhibition (London) 1862.


STERLING SILVER HALLMARKS
Thomas Prime was mostly a close-plater and electroplater. However he entered some sterling silver hallmarks in Birmingham and London Assay Offices.

Thomas Prime & Son, hallmark entered in Birmingham in December 1859 and in London in 1890 Thomas Prime & Son
hallmark entered in Birmingham in December 1859 and in London in 1890
Thomas Prime & Son, hallmark entered in Birmingham in 1862 and in Chester in July 1882 Thomas Prime & Son
hallmark entered in Birmingham in January 1862 and in Chester in July 1882


SILVERPLATE MARKS
Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark
Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark
Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark
Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark
Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark
Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark
Thomas Prime & Son, silverplate mark


ANCIENT ADVERTISEMENTS
Ancient advertisement of Thomas Prime Ancient advertisement of Thomas Prime & Son
THOMAS PRIME AT THE 1851 LONDON GREAT EXHIBITION
(FROM THE ART-JOURNAL ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE)
Birmingham has recently made great progress in the production of the better sort of plated and silver manufactures, so much so, indeed, as to have become a formidable rival to Sheffield., a town whose supremacy in this department of business was, till now, indisputable; however, there is ample room for the manufacturers of both these important places to display their ingenuity and skill to the best advantages, and so contend for the palm of excellences. We engrave on this page some of the works contributed by the establishment of Messrs. PRIME & SON, of Birmingham.
The first subject represents a BUTTER KNIFE; the handle is in the Italian style, and the blade is ornamented with an open floriated pattern.
Thomas Prime & Son, Butter Knife presented at the 1851 Great Exhibition
The LIQUOR STAND that follows offers considerable novelty in its design, which shows the outmost harmony in the ornamentation of its several component parts.
To this succeeds a CAKE BASKET, the form of which is decidedly good, and the chasing in excellent taste.
Thomas Prime & Son, Liquor Stand presented at the 1851 Great Exhibition Thomas Prime & Son, Cake Basket presented at the 1851 Great Exhibition
The TOAST RACK shows also a very meritorious design;
and the TRAY underneath it is equally entitled to commendation.
Thomas Prime & Son, Toast Rack presented at the 1851 Great Exhibition Thomas Prime & Son, Tray presented at the 1851 Great Exhibition
Lastly, the ASPARAGUS TONGS, which complete the page, are sufficiently enriches with ornament to render them an elegant appendage to the dinner-table. We believe that all these manufactures are executed in magneto-plated silver. The results of scientific research, when applied to the industrial arts, are in nothing more manifest than when seen in metallic manufactures. The various processes of electrotyping, magneto-plating, and others, have greatly tended to produce this satisfactory result.
Thomas Prime & Son, Asparagus Tongs presented at the 1851 Great Exhibition





BRITISH SILVER MAKERS: MARKS, HISTORY AND INFORMATION
Adie & Lovekin markAdie & Lovekin John Charle Angell & George Angell markAngell Family Asprey & Co markAsprey & Co Atkin Brothers markAtkin Brothers Barker Brothers markBarker Brothers E. Barnard & Sons markE.Barnard & Sons Hester Bateman markBateman Family Maurice Baum markM. Baum Gerald Benney markG. Benney Barnabus Blackburn markB.Blackburn Boardman, Glossop & Co Ltd markBoardman,Glossop & Co Matthew Boulton markM.Boulton Charles Boyton & Son markC.Boyton & Son Thomas Bradbury & Sons markT.Bradbury & Sons Alfred Browett trade markA.Browett Chawner & Co markChawner & Co Alexander Clark Manufacturing Co markA.Clark Manufacturing Co G.R. Collis & Co markG.R.Collis & Co Augustin Courtauld markCourtauld Family Daniel & Arter markDaniel & Arter go to James Deakin & Sons pageJ.Deakin & Sons Stuart Devlin markS.Devlin Deykin & Sons markDeykin & Sons James Dixon & Sons markJ.Dixon & Sons Dobson & Sons markDobson & Sons William Eley I and William Fearn markEley family Elkington hallmarkElkington & Co John Emes markEmes family Fattorini & Sons markFattorini & Sons Charles Thomas Fox and George Fox markFox family Garrard & Co Ltd markGarrard & Co Samuel Godbehere markS.Godbehere Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co markGoldsmiths & Silversmiths Co Henry Griffith & Sons markH.Griffith & Sons John Grinsell & Sons markJ.Grinsell & Sons Hamilton & Inches markHamilton & Inches Hancock & Co markC.F.Hancock Harrison Brothers & Howson markHarrison Br. & Howson Hawksworth, Eyre & Co Ltd markHawksworth Eyre & Co Hayne & Cater markHayne & Cater Hennell family markHennell family Holland Aldwinckle & Slater markHolland Aldwinckle & Slater Horton & Allday markHorton & Allday Hukin & Heath Ltd markHukin & Heath William Hutton & Sons Ltd markW.Hutton & Sons George Jamieson markG.Jamieson Lambert & Co trade markLambert & Co Paul De Lamerie markP.deLamerie Latham & Morton markLatham & Morton Levi & Salaman markLevi & Salaman Lister & Sons markLister & Sons Charles Maas markC.Maas & Co Mappin & Webb markMappin & Webb Martin Hall & Co markMartin Hall & Co R.F. Mosley markR.F.Mosley Henry George Murphy markH.G.Murphy Pairpoint Brothers markPairpoint Brothers H.H. Plante markH.H.Plante Thomas Prime & Son markT.Prime & Son Robert Pringle & Sons markR.Pringle & Sons Omar Ramsden markO. Ramsden Reid & Sons markReid & Sons Richards & Brown markRichards & Brown Roberts & Belk markRoberts & Belk John Round & Son Ltd markJ.Round & Son Sampson Mordan & Co Ltd markSampson Mordan & Co Goldsmiths' Alliance Ltd Ltd markA.B.Savory & Sons Sibray, Hall & Co markSibray, Hall & Co W & G Sissons markW & G Sissons Smily family markSmily Family Spurrier trade markSpurrier Paul Storr markP.Storr Tessiers Ltd trade markTessiers Ltd F.B. Thomas & Co markF.B.Thomas & Co George Unite & Sons markG.Unite & Sons C.J. Vander Ltd markC.J.Vander Wakely & Wheeler markWakely & Wheeler Walker & Hall markWalker & Hall D & J Wellby Ltd markD&J Wellby Ltd West & Son markWest & Son Henry Wilkison & Co markH.Wilkinson & Co Josiah Williams & Co markJ.Williams & Co Horace Woodward & Co Ltd markH.Woodward & Co
BRITISH SILVERSMITHS - ILLUSTRATED LISTING OF MAKER'S AND SPONSOR'S MARKS
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BRITISH TOWN MARKS AND DATE LETTERS

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This is a page of 'The What is? Silver Dictionary' of A Small Collection of Antique Silver and Objects of vertu, a 1500 pages richly illustrated website offering all you need to know about antique silver, sterling silver, silverplate, Sheffield plate, electroplate silver, silverware, flatware, tea services and tea complements, marks and hallmarks, articles, books, auction catalogs, famous silversmiths (Tiffany, Gorham, Jensen, Elkington), history, oddities ...
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