ENGLISH ELECTROPLATE SILVER

MARKS AND HALLMARKS OF SHEFFIELD AND BIRMINGHAM SILVER PLATE MAKERS
WITH THE ADDITION OF OTHER BRITISH, SCOTTISH AND IRISH MANUFACTURERS



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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 on silver, or EPBM for electroplated Britannia metal.

THE DIRECTORY OF BRITISH ELECTROPLATED SILVER MAKERS: Ea - Eo

SILVERPLATE MANUFACTURERS: MARKS' IMAGE & HISTORY
Aa/Az    Ba/Bd    Be/Bn    Bo/Bz    Ca/Cn    Co/Cz    Da/Dh    Di/Dz    Ea/Eo    Ep/Ez    Fa/Fh    Fi/Fz    Ga/Gn    Go/Gz    Ha/Hh    Hi/Hz    Ia/Jz    Ka/Kz    La/Lz    Ma/Maq    Mar/Mz    Na/Nz    Oa/Oz    Pa/Pg    Ph/Pz    Qa/Rz    Sa/Sh    Si/Sz    Ta/Uz    Va/Vz    Wa/Wh    Wi/Wz    Ya/Yz    Za/Zz    unk.#1    unk.#2    unk.#3    unk.#4   

ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF SILVERPLATE MARKS
AA/AZ    BA/BZ    CA/CZ    DA/DZ    EA/EZ    FA/FZ    GA/GZ    HA/HZ    IA/IZ    JA/JM    JN/KZ    LA/LZ    MA/OZ    PA/QZ    RA/RZ    SA/SZ    TA/UZ    VA/VZ    WA/ZZ   

|THE STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SILVERPLATE MARKS|    |UK FIGURAL TRADE MARKS|    |UK TRADE NAME DIRECTORY|    |ALPHABETIC SYMBOLS|    |SILVERPLATE PSEUDO HALLMARKS|    |DATING UK PATENT MARKS|    |OLD SHEFFIELD PLATE|    |ELKINGTON DATE LETTERS|    |WALKER & HALL DATE LETTERS|    |MAPPIN & WEBB DATE LETTERS|    |EPNS - EPBM|    |BRITANNIA METAL|    |UNIDENTIFIED SILVERPLATE MARKS|
Eaborn & Honour - London (possibly) Eaborn & Honour - London (possibly) Eaborn & Honour - London (possibly)
T.W.Eaton & Co. - Sheffield T.W.Eaton - Sheffield




Edward & Sons - Glasgow Edward & Sons - Glasgow
GEORGE EDWARD
EDWARD & SONS
EDWARD & SONS LTD
Glasgow & London
Founded in Glasgow by George Edward in 1838 mainly as a retail business. They acquired the premises at 92, Buchanan Street by 1863, later extending it to take in No.96. In c.1874 they opened a London branch at Mansion House Buildings, on Cheapside. Edward & Sons were converted into a limited liability company in 1925. The company relocated to 67, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, in 1963, and were later absorbed in the Mappin & Webb group of companies.
Elkington & Co.- Birmingham Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham Elkington & Co - Birmingham Elkington & Co - Birmingham Elkington & Co - Birmingham Cardinal Plate by Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham (possibly) Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham: Monarchy Plate trademark Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham: Melior trademark Cardinal Plate by Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham Elkington & Co. - Birmingham. British Alpacca trademark Elkington & Co. - Birmingham Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham Elkington & Co. Ltd - Birmingham
ELKINGTON & CO
ELKINGTON & CO LTD
Birmingham
Elkington & Co. are one of the most important names in English silver and certainly the most important in silver plate. They began life in Birmingham as a company of silversmiths in 1836, and experimented with improving gilding techniques. By 1838 they had discovered and patented a new way to electroplate one metal on to the surface of another. By 1840 production was already underway with silver electroplated wares. The company received financial backing from Josiah Mason in 1842 (renaming the firm Elkington, Mason & Co between 1842 and 1861) and was extremely successful. It introduced electrotyping as a new method of production for silver plated items. Elkington & Co exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 with enormous success.
An Australian branch was active in
Sydney (before 1888) with manufacture at 396 Pitt Street and retail shop at 384 George Street.
In 1885 Elkington registered designs by Christopher Dresser. Dresser's designs included tea services, sugar bowls, claret jugs, kettles, cruet stands, baskets, a tureen and a tankard. His models are recorded in Elkington's silver and plated ware pattern-books.
Elkington held Royal Warrants for Queen Victoria, King Edward VI, King George V, King Edward VIII and King George VI. The Elkington & Co. name is still in use today as manufacturers under the auspices of British Silverware Ltd.
Elkington used the trademarks BRITISH ALPACCA, CARDINAL PLATE, MELIOR and MONARCHY PLATE


OLD IMAGES OF THE FACTORY

Elkington & Co HISTORY, MARKS, DATE LETTERS




Elkington, Mason & Co - Birmingham A 1858 advertisement of Elkington, Mason & Co Elkington, Mason & Co - Birmingham




Thomas Ellin & CO acting as plater of ware manufactured by Thomas Otley & Sons - Sheffield Thomas Ellin & Co - Sheffield Thomas Ellin & Co - Sheffield Thomas Ellin & Co - Sheffield: trade mark VULCAN Thomas Ellin & Co - Sheffield: trade mark CUTTER Thomas Ellin & Co - Sheffield: trade mark Mexican Silver
THOMAS ELLIN & CO
Sheffield
Active at Sylvester Works, Arundel Street, Sheffield. The firm used the trademarks
VULCAN, CUTTER and MEXICAN SILVER. Found also pieces marked with Ellin name supplied for electroplating by Thomas Otley & Sons and bearing Otley's figural trade mark (Mechanical man) and MEXICAN SILVER with the "crossed arrows" of William Hutton & Sons. In early 1900s they bought Colquhoun & Cadman, Sheffield
Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield: advertisement Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffieldn   (possibly) Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield (possibly) Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield Joseph Elliot & Sons - Sheffield
JOSEPH ELLIOT & SONS
JOSEPH ELLIOT & SONS (SHEFFIELD) LTD
Sheffield
Joseph Elliot and Sons (Sheffield) Limited was established as a private limited company in 1927. The company's history however dates back to the Joseph Elliot and Sons business that was founded in 1795 at 4 Hollis Croft, Sheffield.
In 1921 Joseph Elliot and Sons was incorporated by Sheffield Cutlery Manufacturers Limited.
The firm was active at Hollis Croft (until 1923), Spital Works, Spital St. (until 1926), Granville Works, 1 Sylvester St., Sheffield (from 1926) changing its name to Cutlery Agencies Limited.
In the early 1970s the firm was taken by J Dewsnap Bowler Limited, Sylvester Works, Sylvester Street, Sheffield.
Subsidiaries of Joseph Elliot and Sons (Sheffield) Limited include:
I. and J. Barber,
Colquhoun and Cadman Limited, Thomas Ellin and Company Limited, Lockwood Brothers Limited, John Wigfall and Company Limited, John Wilson and Company Limited




Ellis & Co - Birmingham
ELLIS & CO
ELLIS & CO LTD
Birmingham
Active at
Empire Works, Great Hampton Street & Hall Street, Birmingham as "manufacturers of electroplated and sterling silver goods". Entered sterling hallmarks at Birmingham Assay Office (1896 and 1898) and as Ellis & Co Ltd (1932). Ellis & Co was the parent company of Ellis Silver Co active in the USA (the "menorah" trademark was used in the US since 1912)
Charles Ellis & Co - Sheffield Charles Ellis & Co - Sheffield
CHARLES ELLIS & CO
Sheffield
Active at 39-57 Norfolk St, Sheffield (1855-1900)
George Ellis Ltd - Sheffield (possibly)
GEORGE ELLIS
G. ELLIS LTD
Sheffield (possibly)
Active at 100-102 Charles St. and 8 Albany Rd. Sheffield (c.1905)
Isaac Ellis & Sons - Sheffield Isaac Ellis & Sons - Sheffield
ISAAC ELLIS
ISAAC ELLIS & SONS
ISAAC ELLIS & SONS LTD
Sheffield
Isaac Ellis, cutlery manufacturer owner of the trade mark PRIMUS, active at Portland Works, 188 West Street h.William Street (1852), Sheffield. By 1860 Isaac Ellis entered in partnership with his sons Isaac Milner and Ebenezer and the name of the firm changed to
Isaac Ellis & Sons. Isaac Ellis Sen. died in 1865 and his sons continued the business moving to Portland Works, Arundel Street in 1869. The Arundel Street factory was sold in 1884 to Charles Franklin Ward and Robert Edward Wharam, moving to and Primus Works, Cavendish Street in 1911. Isaac Ellis & Sons became "Ltd" in 1915. The trademark PRIMUS was acquired by Edwin Blyde in 1932.
S.M. Ellis & Co - Sheffield
S.M.ELLIS & CO
Sheffield
Active at Rockingham Street (1921-1939) and Carver Street 40, Sheffield (1940-1952). They also traded as Ellis & Co. (the source is E.R. Mattheau-Raven, The identification and dating of Sheffield Electroplated Wares 1843-1943)

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,....





WORLDWIDE DIRECTORY OF SILVERPLATE MANUFACTURERS: HISTORY & MARKS
Rogers & Bro. - Waterbury CT hallmarkUSA & Canada     Mappin & Webb hallmarkWalker & Hall hallmarkUK Electroplate     Devices of Old Sheffiel PlateOld Sheffield Plate     Herrmann factory silver plate markContinental/Europe

BRITISH TOWN MARKS AND DATE LETTERS

STERLING SILVER OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND IRELAND
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF MAKER'S MARKS
AA/AE    AF/AZ    BA/BZ    CA/CH    CI/CZ    DA/DZ    EA/EZ    FA/FZ    GA/GZ    HA/HG    HH/HZ    IA/IG    IH/IZ    JA/JC    JD/JI    JJ/JP    JQ/JS    JT/JZ    KA/LZ    MA/MZ    NA/PA    PB/PZ    QA/RJ    RK/RZ    SA/SG    SH/SZ    TA/TH    TI/TZ    UA/WB    WC/WF    WG/WL    WM/WS    WT/ZZ   

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