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 ©

This is a page of A Small Collection of Antique Silver and Objects of vertu, a 1000 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 ... SITE MAP - HOME PAGE

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.

	MACKAY & CHISHOLM Edinburgh Firm founded in 1835 (49 Newbuildings, Edinburgh). Active at 57 Princes Street (from 1879) and 59 Princes Street, Edinburgh (from 1908 to present)
	MACLAURIN BROTHERS Sheffield Active at Sidney Works, 23-20 Sydney St, Sheffield (1871-1925). The firm was founded by the sons of James Maclaurin owner of James Maclaurin & Sons, Boston Works, 70 Bowden St, Sheffield (1865-1870)
	HERBERT MACLAURIN Sheffield Herbert Maclaurin (born 1865) active at Matilda Works (1894-1915) and Sylvester St, Sheffield (1916-1923). Succeeded in 1894 to his father George Maclaurin (born 1839) working in Matilda Works since 1881 (formerly belonging to Wolstenholme & Biggin). The firm used the trade mark INTRINSIC
	CHARLES T. MAINE Jersey A retailer jeweller, optician, and watch and clock repairer. In 1890 he purchased the business of H. Holinshed (formerly John Le Gallais). The business continues in the same family
	EDWIN JOHN MAKIN Sheffield Charlotte Street Works. Succeeded to George Hawksley & Co
	WILLIAM MAMMATT & SONS Sheffield Active at Albion Plate Works, 119-121 Arundel St, (1886-1896), Portland Works, Randall St and 35-37 Townshead St, Sheffield (1897-1906). The firm succeeded William Mammatt, 18 Arundel St (1863-1864), 82 Division St (1861-1867) and 121 Arundel St, Sheffield (1882-1885). Between 1864 and 1867 the firm traded as Mammatt, Buxton & Co
	MAMMATT, BUXTON & CO Sheffield The firm succeeded William Mammatt (18 Arundel St, 1863-1867) and was active at Arundel Plate Works, 32 Eyre St, Sheffield (1864-1857). The partnership was dissolved in 1867 and William Mammatt traded solely at 82 Division St (1867-1881) and at Albion Works, 121 Arundel St (1882-1885). The firm became William Mammatt & Sons in 1886, active in Albion Works until 1896 and in Portland Works (1897-1906)

	WILLIAM MANTON & SON Birmingham Vyse Street, Birmingham
	MAPLE & CO LTD London business established in 1841 by John Maple. Became Maple & Co Ltd in 1891
	MAPPIN & WEBB Sheffield Mappin & Webb HISTORY and MARKS Mappin & Webb DATE LETTERS
	MAPPIN BROTHERS Sheffield and London The firm was founded in 1810 by Joseph Mappin and became Joseph Mappin & Co in 1841. In 1846 the business was amalgamated with Willian Sansom & Sons, changing its style to Mappin Brothers. The partners were Frederick Torpe (left 1859), Edward, Joseph Charles (senior) and John Newton (left 1859), sons of the founder Joseph Mappin. They started electroplating in 1865. The firm was active at Queens Cutlery Works, 6-10 Bakers Hill, Sheffield and in its shops in London. In 1902 Mappin Brothers was amalgamated with Mappin & Webb.

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,....