ENGLISH ELECTROPLATE SILVER MARKS AND HALLMARKS OF SHEFFIELD AND BIRMINGHAM SILVER PLATE MAKERS

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.

	FRANCIS HIGGINS - THE PORTLAND CO LTD FRANCIS HIGGINS & SON FRANCIS HIGGINS & SON LTD London The Portland Co Ltd was founded in 1859 and was active at Riding House Street, Portland Place, London. The firm, using the mark of Frank Higgins junior (a small gothic fh into a heart), was put into voluntary liquidation in 1869. Francis Higgins continued the activity as Francis Higgins & Son (1868-1909) and Francis Higgins & Son Ltd (1909-1940), absorbing in 1922 Holland, Aldwinckle & Slater. The business was continued by C.J. Vander Ltd.
	JOSEPH HIRONS & HENRY HODSON PLANTE JOSEPH HIRONS, HENRY HODSON PLANTE & CO Birmingham see Henry Hodson Plante for further information
	HENRY HOBSON & SONS Sheffield & London Business established in Sheffield by Henry Hobson in 1845. A London branch was opened in 1852 and later styled George Hobson & Sons. Queen Street factory moved to Carver Street (1901) and then to Eyre Lane, Sheffield (1912). The firm used the trade marks X PRESS and EXPRESS
	RICHARD HODD & WILLIAM LINLEY London Business established in 1849 at Hatton Garden as Goodfellow, Tilley & Hodd (1849-1854). Later the firm became Goodfellow & Hodd (until 1860), Richard Hodd (until 1862), Hodd & Linley (until 1872) and Richard Hodd & Son from 1872 to the present

	DAVID HOLLANDER & SONS LTD Birmingham c. 1950-1970
	HOLMAN & NORTON Birmingham active from 1899 at 43 Howard Str, Birmingham
	GEORGE GATES HONOUR London active from 1900
	HOUCHTON & CUNN London possibly merged with Asprey & Co in 1911
	EDWIN HOWARD & SON (possibly) Sheffield Active at 90 Pond Street (1863-1870). Edwin Howard was partner of Howard & Hawksworth, 9 Orchard Lane (1835-1857), trading solely as Edwin Howard (without '& Son') at 9 Orchard Lane (1857-1863) and at 5 Bridge St, Sheffield (1870-1878).
	FRANCIS HOWARD Sheffield Active at West End Works, 68 West St (1870-1886), Aberdeen Works, 1 Trafalgar St and 99 Division St (1886-1974). The firm was converted into a limited liability company in 1923. The firm derived, possibly, from Edwin Howard & Son (active 1863-1870)
	JAMES HOWARD JAMES HOWARD &SONS JAMES HOWARD & CO Sheffield Active from 1861 at Broom Spring Works, Fitzwilliam St and Bath St, Sheffield. From 1862 the firm became James Howard & Co
	WILLIAM HOWE Sheffield Active as William Howe & Co at 17 Corporation St (1858-1861). From 1861 became William Howe. Active at 8 Lambert St (1861-1866), Wollen St (1867-1872) and Gatefield Works, 48 Roberts St, Sheffield (1873-1881)
	HUKIN & HEATH Birmingham The firm was established in Birmingham in 1855 by Jonathan Wilson Hukin and John Thomas Heath. The firm's association with Christopher Dresser began in 1877; the first registered design dates from 1878, and others were entered up to 1881. Dresser's designs were launched at the opening of the firm's showrooms in Charterhouse Street in August 1879. In 1904 the business was converted under the style of Hukin & Heath Ltd. The company closed in 1953.
	GEORGE HENRY HULLEY Sheffield Active at 17-19 Cambridge St (1886-1899) and Ecclesall Works, Rockingham St, Sheffield (1900-1940)
	W.R.HUMPREYS & CO Sheffield 1889-1925, Eyre St.Works and Haddon Works. Became Ltd in 1904
	J.H. HUNT Birmingham
	MICHAEL HUNTER & SON Sheffield Active at Talbot Works, 328 Saville St and Reed St, Sheffield (1884-1925). The firm used trade marks "LLAMA" and "FUERTE"
	WILLIAM HUTTON & SONS Sheffield The firm was established in Birmingham in 1800 by William Hutton, and was transferred to Sheffield in 1832. After the founder's death the business was continued under the style of William Hutton by his son William Carr Hutton. The firm was transformed in William Hutton & Sons in 1864 and William Hutton & Sons Ltd from 1893 to 1930. In 1930 goodwill transferred to James Dixon & Sons Ltd. The firm used the trade mark CROSS ARROWS (6 or 8 arrows) after the acquisition of Creswick & Co (c. 1900). The firm used ther trade mark ANGLE PLATE WILLIAM HUTTON & SONS: HISTORY and MARKS

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, Austrian Silver, Brazilian Silver, Buxbridge, Electrum, Encore, Exquisite, Insignia Plate, Nevada Silver, Norwegian Silver, Pelican Silver, Potosi Silver, Silverite, Sonora Silver, Spur Silver, Stainless Nickel, Stainless Nickel Silver, Venetian Silver, W.M White Metal,....