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.

	WILLIAM NAYLOR & CO NAYLOR, CLARK & CO Birmingham William Naylor & Co was active at Caledonian Works. Partners of Naylor, Clark & Co were William Naylor and William Clark (possibly brothers in law) listed in Francis White Trade Directory 1875 as Naylor Clark & Co in Vittoria St. William Naylor (born c1836, formerly Long Sutton, Lincolnshire) lived in Hagley Road and William Clark in Charlotte Road, Edgbaston. William Naylor was married with Laura Clark (Sutton Bridge, Lincs). William Naylor & Co used the trade mark AUSTRALIAN SILVER
	JOHN NEAL London A retail jeweler business active at Edgware Rd, London from 1852 until c. 1880
	NEEDHAM, VEALL & TYZACK Sheffield Active at Eye Witness Works, Milton St (1889-1925), Nimrod Works, Eldon St (1889-1905), Glamorgan Works, Pond St and Pyramid Works, Reed St and Ceylon Works, Thomas St, Sheffield (1905-1925).The firm was converted into a "Ltd" in 1897. The firm used the trade marks WITNESS, BURMA SILVER, EYE WITNESS. The trademark belongs to Taylors of Sheffield who took over the trademark in the 1920s
	SHARMAN D. NEILL SHARMAN D. NEILL LTD Belfast A retail business active since 1884 at Donegall Place, Belfast and at Edgware Rd, London from 1852 until c. 1880. In 1909 the firm was converted into a Ltd. Sharman Dermott Neill was a descendent of Robert Neill, who in partnership with Henry Gardner, advertised 'Telescopes' in 1810. Sharman D. Neill Ltd is still active at 7-9 Royal Avenue, Belfast
	ELLIS NEWTON Birmingham retailed in Belfast by Sharman D. Neill

	CHARLES EDWARD NIXON Sheffield Active at St Wolfram's Works, 185 Rockingham St, (1881-1885) and 226 Brookhill and 103 Napier St, Sheffield (1886-1897)
	JOHN NODDER & SONS Sheffield Active at 188 Rockingham St (1863-1864), Taranaki Works, Dunfields (1864-1868) and 138-140 New Edward St (1868-1889), 226 Brookhill (1889-1904). The firm was converted into a "Ltd" in 1897. The firm used the trade marks: OSMINIUM SILVER and NODDERS SILVER
	THE NORTHERN GOLDSMITHS THE GOLDSMITHS CO Newcastle-upon-Tyne A jeweller's and retailer's business opened in Newscastle in 1778. Today the style "Goldsmiths" is active in 170 showrooms in the UK. The firm received three Royal Warrants. Trade marks used: CARDINAL PLATE and DUCAL PLATE
	NORTON & WHITE Birmingham Newhall Street, Birmingham
	JOHN NOWILL & SONS Sheffield Active in Nowill's Cutlery & Plate Works, Scotland St, Sheffield (1864-1950) and in Trimils Works, 87 London Rd, Sheffield (1950-1965). The firm was converted in a "Ltd" in 1928
	WILLIAM R. NUTT W.R. NUTT & CO Sheffield Active at Wentworth Works, Burgess St, Sheffield (1878-1891). In 1892 became W.R. Nutt & Co

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,....