MARKS AND HALLMARKS OF USA AND CANADA SILVERPLATE AND ELECTROPLATED SILVER MAKERS |
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This is a page of A Small Collection of Antique Silver and Objects of vertu, a 1500 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 |
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AMERICAN SILVER PLATE AND ELECTROPLATED SILVER - ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF MAKERS: - Wa-Wd - |
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AMERICAN SILVERPLATE MARKS Aa / Al Am / Az Ba / Bh Bi / Bz C D E F G H I J K L Ma / Mh Mi / Mz N O P Q Ra / Rn Ro / Rz Sa / Sl Sm / Sz T U V Wa / Wd We / Wz X Y Z HOW TO READ, DECRYPT AND IDENTIFY THE MARKS ON AMERICAN SILVERPLATE AND ELECTROPLATED SILVER |
| J. WAGNER & SON INC. Marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
| THE WALDO FOUNDRY Marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
| WAITE, THRESHER & COMPANY Marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
 WALDORF SILVER PLATE a trade name of WOODMAN-COOK CO |
 WALLACE BROS SILVER COMPANY - Wallingford CT Co-partnership for the manufacture of silverplated flatware and holloware formed in 1875 by Robert Wallace with his sons Robert B., William J., Henry L., George H., Frank A. and sons-in-law W.J. Leavenworth and D.E. Morris. The manufacture of holloware ceased in 1986. In 1879 the corporation of R.Wallace & Sons Mfg Co acquired and took over the business and goodwill of Wallace Brothers |
 WALLACE SILVERSMITHS INC - Wallingford, CT Origin in 1834 as Robert Wallace. Changed to Robert Wallace & Co (1855), Wallace Simpson & Co (1865), R. Wallace & Sons Mfg Co (1871) Wallace Silversmiths ( 1956) and Wallace Silversmiths Inc (1984). further marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section go to FLATWARE PATTERNS |
  R. WALLACE & SONS MFG CO - Wallingford CT The founder of the firm was Robert Wallace who, after his apprenticeship to Captain William Mix, began in 1833 his own manufacture of Britannia (a pewter alloy) spoons. In 1834 Wallace started the manufacture of spoons in German silver, supplying his production to Hall, Elton & Co until 1849. In 1849 Wallace entered in partnership with J.B. Pomeroy manufacturing German silver spoons on contract for Fred R. Curtis & Co of Hartford and Britannia spoons for Hall, Elton & Co and Edgar Atwater of Wallingford. In 1855 was formed the R. Wallace & Co in partnership with Samuel Simpson, H.C. Wilcox, W.W. Lyman and Isaac C. Lewis (partners in the Meriden Britannia Co). In 1865 a new contract was made and the firm was organised under the name of Wallace, Simpson & Co. Robert Wallace took in 1870 the entire control of the firm and the corporate name changed again to R.Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. in partnership with his sons Robert B. and William J. and his son-in-law W.J. Leavenworth. In 1875 was founded the Wallace Brothers, a co-partnership of Robert Wallace, his sons Robert B., William J., Henry L., George H., Frank A. and his sons-in-law W.J. Leavenworth and D.E. Morris. The firm manufactured silverplate flatware on a base of cast steel and silverplated holloware. The holloware production ceased in 1879 and Wallace Brothers was acquired by the corporation of R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. The firm opened a plant in Canada (Cookshire, Quebec) in 1924. The Canadian branch was incorporated in 1945 as R. Wallace & Sons of Canada Ltd (sold in 1964). In the 1950s the firm bought Watson Company of Attleboro, Tuttle Silver Company and Smith & Smith, changing its name to Wallace Silversmiths in 1956. Wallace Silversmiths was purchased in 1959 by Hamilton Watch Company. In 1971 it became a division of H.M.W. Industry and in 1983 a Subsidiary of Katy Industries Inc. In 1986 the business was acquired by Syratech Corporation trading hands multiple times before ending up as part of Lifetime Brands in 2006. The Company used various trade marks. Among them DEERFIELD SILVER PLATE, LENOX SILVER PLATE LUXOR PLATE and MELFORD go to FLATWARE PATTERNS further marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
 THE WALLINGFORD CO INC - Wallingford, CT part of Wallace Bros. Silver Co. active 1903-1941. Used the trade mark Essex Silver Co |
 WALTHAM SILVER CO - Waltham, MA (possibly) active in the 1890s |
 JOHN WANAMAKER - Philadelphia PA founded in 1861. It was the first American system store. further marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
| CHARLES W. WARREN & CO Marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
 WARNER SILVER CO - New York, NY Active at 200 5th Av, New York |
 WARREN SILVER PLATE CO - New York a Wm. A. Rogers Ltd trademark first used in 1901 |
| WARWICK STERLING CO Marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
 WATERS & THORP - New York A partnership of Josiah C. Waters and Henry B. Thorp active in New York from 1863 to 1867 |
 WATROUS MFG CO - Wallingford, CT Origin as Maltby, Stevens & Company and incorporated in 1896 as Watrous Mfg.Co. Became one of the original companies part of the International Silver Co. in 1898. further marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
| WATSON COMPANY Marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
| JAMES WATTS Marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
| WAYNE SILVERSMITHS INC. Marks and information in AMERICAN STERLING SILVER section |
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.
Sheffield plate by the fusion process was not made in America, but factories here did turn out quantities of electroplated silver. In fact, it was so popular that one English firm with several variations of its name, but all including Dixon, sold quantities of electroplated silver, issued catalogues, and even had a New York showroom.
Today there is a great deal of American plated silver which has been treasured for years. Many families had plated silver as well as fine sterling. Some of it was inherited; some prized for sentimental reasons. If you have this plated ware, and it is as dear to you as fine early silver, then you are among the happy people of this world.
On plated silver the terms 'triple' and 'quadruple' indicate the number of coatings received by the base metal in the electroplating process. Naturally the more metal used in the plating the longer the piece should last. Polishing and wear have taken their toll of much of this plated ware and whether pieces are worth replating depends on their usefulness and your pleasure in them. If you like them well enough to spend money on them, then by all means have the work done, but remember a piece is worth at market value only the metal that is in it, the base metal under the plating being worth very little.
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, EPCA, Electro Plated Copper Alloy, EPGS - Electro Plated German Silver, EPMS - Electro Plated Magnetic Silver, African Silver, Albion Silver, Alpha Plate, Ambassador Plate, Angle Plate, Argentium, Argentine Plate, Argentum, Ascetic, Austrian Silver, Brazilian Silver, Britanoid, Cardinal Plate, Electrum, Embassy Plate, Encore, Exquisite, Insignia Plate, Kingsley Plate, New Silver, Nevada Silver, Norwegian Silver, Pelican Silver, Potosi Silver, Royal County Plate, Silva Seal, Silverite, Sonora Silver, Spur Silver, Stainless Nickel, Stainless Nickel Silver, Unity Plate, Venetian Silver, Welbeck Plate,
| STERLING SILVER OF USA AND CANADA |
| SILVER MANUFACTURERS: MARKS, HISTORY AND INFORMATION |
 Fabergé Gorham International Silver Co Georg Jensen Kirk Stieff Meriden Britannia Reed & Barton Rogers Tiffany & Co Towle Wallace Wiener Werkstatte WMF |
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