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 ©

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.

	C.L. REIS & CO Glasgow Possibly a retailer's mark of general merchandise wharehouse Chas L. Reis & Co, active in Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow and Sheffield.
	RICHARD RICHARDSON Sheffield The business was established in 1796 in Sheffield by Richard Richardson. In 1895 the firm was active at Corwall Works, Sheffield and in London showroom at Ely Place, Holborn Circus.
	RICHARDS & WALSH Wexford
	JOSEPH RIDGE & CO Sheffield Active at Lion Works, 47 Eyre Lane (1881-1886). Joseph Ridge was previously a partner of Ridge, Woodcock & Hardy (1872-1881). In 1886 Ridge, Allcard & Co was amalgamated in John Round & Sons and Joseph Ridge became its manager until 1915. The mark of Ridge & Co is tightly similar to the shape of some marks used by Round firm
	ROBERTS & BELK Sheffield The firm was established in Sheffield in 1809 under the style of Furnyss, Pole & Turner and from 1823 it traded as William Briggs. From 1858 it was managed by William Briggs and Samuel Roberts under the style Roberts & Briggs. In 1863 Roberts continued the business in partnership with Charles Belk under the style Roberts & Belk. In 1901 the firm was convertd to Roberts & Belk Ltd.

	ROBERTS & CO Sheffield William Roberts was active at Shoreham Works, Shoreham St, Sheffield (1858-1872). Succeeded to Roberts & Hall 1847-1858). The firm became Roberts & Timm in 1873 (until 1888 when William Roberts traded solely)
	ROBERTS & SLATER Sheffield Active at 38 Furnival St, Sheffield (1845-1859). The firm was succeeded in 1859 by Roberts & Briggs
	JOSEPH RODGERS & SONS Sheffield A famous firm of cutlers and silversmiths founded in Sheffield in 1682. It was converted under the style of Joseph Rodgers & Sons Ltd in 1871. The factory was at 6 Norfolk Street, Sheffield and a showroom at 60 Holborn Viaduct, London. New large works were opened in 1899 at River Lane, Sheffield.
	HENRY ROGERS, SONS & CO Sheffield
	JOHN ROUND Sheffield The firm was established by John Round in Sheffield in 1847 as a small familiar workshop attached to his house in Tudor Street. The business proved successful and the firm in partnership with his son Edwin went under the title of John Round & Son. In 1874 the firm became John Round & Son Ltd and in 1886 the business of Ridge, Allcard & Co (Lions Works, Eyre Lane) was amalgamated and John Ridge became the manager. The main factory was the renewed Tudor Works, Tudor Street, Sheffield while warious showrooms operated in London.
	THOMAS RUSSELL & CO Edinburgh

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

www.silvercollection.it