ENGLISH ELECTROPLATE SILVER MARKS AND HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER PLATE

WITH THE ADDITION OF OTHER BRITISH, SCOTTISH AND IRISH MAKERS

created by Giorgio B. owner of www.silvercollection.it ©

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The two common forms of plated silver are Sheffield plate and silverplate/electroplate.
Sheffield Plate is a cheaper substitute for sterling, produced by fusing sheets of silver to the top and bottom of a sheet of copper or base metal. This 'silver sandwich' was then worked into finished pieces. At first it was only put on one side and later was on top and bottom.
Modern electroplating was invented by Italian chemist Luigi V. Brugnatelli in 1805. Brugnatelli used his colleague Alessandro Volta's invention of five years earlier, the voltaic pile, to facilitate the first electrodeposition. Unfortunately, Brugnatelli's inventions were repressed by the French Academy of Sciences and did not become used in general industry for the following thirty years.
Silver plate or electroplate is formed when a thin layer of pure or sterling silver is deposited electrolytically on the surface of a base metal. By 1839, scientists in Britain and Russia had independently devised metal deposition processes similar to Brugnatelli's for the copper electroplating of printing press plates.
Soon after, John Wright of Birmingham, England, discovered that potassium cyanide was a suitable electrolyte for gold and silver electroplating.
Wright's associates, George Elkington and Henry Elkington were awarded the first patents for electroplating in 1840. These two then founded the electroplating industry in Birmingham England from where it spread around the world.
Common base metals include copper, brass, nickel silver - an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel - and Britannia metal - a tin alloy with 5-10% antimony.
Electroplated materials are often stamped EPNS for electroplated nickel or silver, or EPBM for electroplated Britannia metal.

	JOHN BAKER Sheffield Active at 40 Carver St, Sheffield (1847-1851)
	JOHN BAKER & SONS Sheffield The original John Baker (b.1797) (on the left his image, c. 1850) was making files in Rockingham St, Sheffield for many years but by the time of the 1861 census he was manufacturing in Monmouth Street. Mark's image is taken from a table knife commemorating the firm's centenary in 1937. Images and information were kindly supplied by Judy Baker a descendant of the firm's founder.
	BALL BROTHERS not identified
	JAMES BALLANTYNE & SON Glasgow Jewellers at Virginia Street, Glasgow
	- BARKER BROS - BARKER BROTHERS SILVERSMITHS LTD - BARKER ELLIS SILVER CO Birmingham Firm established in Birmingham in 1801 by Mary Barker. The business was continued by her son William Barker in partnership with Creed under the style Barker & Creed. In 1885 the firm traded under the style Barker Brothers at Unity Works, Paradise Street, Birmingham as a partnership of Herbert Edward Barker and Matthias Barker. In 1903 they moved to new factory premises, Unity Works, Constitution Hill, Birmingham. In 1907 the firm was converted into a limited liability company under the style Barker Brothers Silversmiths Ltd and in the 1960s, merging with Ellis & Co (Birmingham) Ltd, the firm changed to Barker Ellis Silver Co Ltd. On January 2, 1979, the firm obtained a Federal registration in the USA for the trademarks Ellis & Co, Barker Ellis and Ellis Barker (the marks were cancelled in 1988). The company went into administration in 1992. The firm used the trade marks BRITANOID, UNITY PLATE and THE HYGENIA BARKER history and information page
	-EDWARD & JOHN BARNARD -EDWARD, EDWARD JNR, JOHN AND WILLIAM BARNARD London BARNARD'S FACTORY HISTORY and MARKS
	HENRY BARNASCONE & SON Sheffield
	C.F. BARNES & A.D. KIRKBY Sheffield
	Z. BARRACLOUGH & SONS Z. BARRACLOUGH & SONS LTD Leeds The retail business was established in Leeds in 1807. By 1887 Z. Barraclough & Sons are listed at 54 Briggate Commercial Street, Leeds. After 1914 the firm was converted into a Ltd under the style of Z.Barraclough & Sons Ltd.
	JOHN BATT JOHN BATT & CO LTD Sheffield Formerly John Batt (from 1867). In 1891 the firm, having some link with George Cutts & Sons, was active at 33 Broad St. Sheffield and in its London showrooms at 157 Aldersgate Street. The firm became & Co Ltd in 1896 at 14 Sycamore Street, Sheffield (1896-1938). The firm used the trade mark PARK
	WILLIAM BATT WILLIAM BATT & SONS WILLIAM BATT & SONS LTD Sheffield 69 Broom Spring Lane, Sheffield. The partnership of John, Joseph and Thomas Batt as William Batt & Sons was dissolved in 1866 and continued under the same style by Joseph and Thomas Batt and Francis Howard. Later (c. 1895) the firm was manages by Thomas Nowill Batt at 17 Sycamore St, Sheffield
	MAURICE BAUM Sheffield Active at Albert Works, 189-191 Norfolk St (1886-1900) and Mowbray St, Sheffield (1901-1904). The firm used the trade mark SILVERINE
	A.J. BAILEY A.J. BAILEY & SON Birmingham Everest Works, Tenby Street North, Birmingham

E.P.N.S. (Electroplated Nickel Silver) and EPBM (Electroplated Britannia Metal) are the most common names attributed to silver plate items. But many other names are used for silver plate:
EPWM - Electroplate on White Metal, EPC - Electroplate on Copper, Argentium Argentine Plate, Argentum, Ascetic B. B. S. Ltd, Ashberry, Austrian Silver, Brazilian Silver D&A Trademark of Daniel and Arter, Buxbridge - Trademark name of JT&Co., Electrum, Encore TT&Co Trademark of T. Turner, Exquisite, HH&S , I.XL Geo. Wostenholm & Son, Insignia Plate, JB&S EP A1, JD&S = John Dixon & Sons, K & TL , M&W Mappin and Webb, N.S. New Silver, Nevada Silver D&A Trademark of Daniel and Arter, Norwegian Silver; Trademark of WG&S, Pelican Silver JGNS, Potosi Silver N&S WP, RN&S EP Neill, Silverite = Trademark of W P & Co , Sonora Silver = Trademark of Walker and Hall, Spur Silver = Trademark of E B & Co for Edwin Blyde & Co, Stainless N. S., Stainless Nickel, Stainless Nickel Silver, Venetian Silver - Trademark of Deykin & Sons, WF&SS EP

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