I Need Help with Gorham Marks

I've stated in several posts that Gorham changed its marking method for flatware in 1950 from the classic "lion/anchor/G Sterling" marks to simply "Gorham Sterling". Lately, I've been wondering if this is entirely accurate. For example, I have not been able to find old marks on patterns like King Edward and Fairfax. Both these patterns existed a few years before 1950.

Can anyone out there shed some light on this? Post a comment if you can.

Thanks.

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British Silver Assay Offices

If you have an interest in British silver pieces or the marks thereon, you may find the websites of four active British assay offices useful. You'll find links to the websites in this article:

• Current British Silver Assay Office Websites 

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Another Reference Source - Hallmarks & Patterns

We received a comment today from the folks at Antique Sterling Research. Their blog has an impressive list of hallmarks and pattern identification information. If you are trying to identify hallmarks or a sterling flatware pattern, check it out.

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Gorham Buttercup Hallmark Help Needed

We received a request from a reader regarding Gorham hallmarks on the Buttercup sterling flatware pattern specifically. Here's the question.

If a Buttercup piece has the old hallmarks of "Lion/Anchor/G Sterling", does it always also have a reference to "Patent 1900" on the piece?

This reader has some Buttercup pieces with old Gorham hallmarks that do not have any reference to "Patent 1900" on them and the reader is concerned. Some of these pieces were inherited and some were purchased over the years from a large, reputable dealer in used sterling flatware.

I have some guesses about this but would rather have an explanation from someone who knows for sure. Post a comment or send an email if you have the answer.

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How Can I Tell If It's Real Silver? - Part 2

Back in February, we posted an article, "How Can I Tell If It's Real Silver". This is a followup to that post.

There is another way to try to identify the metal content of a piece - by using an acid test - literally! We purchased a test kit with a small vial of acid. The metal will react with the acid and the color to which the liquid changes is a clue regarding metal content. We tried it on a sterling piece and it appeared to work. In the case of "92.5% silver", which is the definition of sterling, the color was a dark red.

So, if you really want to do this, you can find these acid kits on eBay. Be aware that you have to scratch the piece a bit in order to perform the test. The acid also dulls the piece and leaves a mark. You probably can polish that out. You can use this kit to try to identify:

• Pure silver
• 92.5% silver (sterling)
• 80.0% silver
• 50% silver
• Lead
• Tin
• Brass
• Copper
• Nickel
• Zinc
• Palladium
• Gold

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Wallace Hallmark Info Request

We received the following request from a blog reader. Can anyone help? I have already referred the reader to www.925-1000.com.

Hi -- I am interested in understanding (seeing) the various hallmarks Wallace used on its sterling pieces, and when they were used. I've seen several.

I am specifically interested in the two patterns called "Irving" and "Old Atlanta", and have suspected that some pieces, which were said to be Irving, are actually Old Atlanta. Now I'm considering some pieces the I think are Old Atlanta, but the seller is insisting that the hallmark shows it is actually Irving, since it is an older hallmark.

I appreciate your help with this. Can't seem to find anything that details the dates with a photo of the marking.

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I Can't Find Hallmarks on My Knives

You may still have sterling handle knives even if you can't find any hallmarks. It's common for the hallmarks on old knife handles to get buffed or polished away over many years of use. We have a pretty strong magnifying glass and we look for faint imprints or even pieces of letters that indicate the original hallmarks.

In recent history, manufacturers began putting all the hallmarks on the knife blades. You might see, for example, "Stainless Blade Sterling Handle" imprinted on a knife blade. But, it the old days, the sterling hallmark was placed on the handle.

So, if you have a knife that your are worried about, hold it under a good light and a strong magnifying glass. Gradually tilt the knife handle various ways to look for hints of the original hallmarks. Tilt slowly and look carefully. Some hallmarks may run down the side of the handle; others might be at the handle shoulder where it meets the blade.

The picture below illustrates the problem. We took a picture of an old Gorham Buttercup knife handle. By adjusting the brightness and contrast (resulting in the golden color), we are just able to make out the words "Sterling Handle".



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Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks

If you are interested in researching hallmarks found on various types of old silver pieces, here is a site you will want to review:

Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Maker's Marks

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Are Pieces with Old Hallmarks More Valuable?

Sometimes my answers are frustrating to readers and this one is no exception because the answer is, "It depends!" Here are some questions I ask myself when I'm considering buying a piece of sterling flatware, comparing it to other pieces in the same pattern. The questions are in order of importance to me.

1. What is its condition?
2. Are there any monograms or other custom engraving?
3. What is its weight? (Some pieces have been made in different weights over the years.)
4. What is its age? (This is linked to the hallmarks question.)

To me, questions 1 and 2 are extremely important. Questions 3 and 4 are somewhat important. If the piece is in excellent condition with no custom engraving, I won't worry about answers to the last two questions very much.

There are situations where the manufacturing process for a particular pattern changed significantly at some point. I hear this from time to time regarding the purchase of an old line company by a conglomerate. I hear that the quality of some patterns deteriorated at this point. If this is the case, question 4 becomes more important.

Keep in mind that I am in the business of buying and selling sterling flatware. If I was a collector of antique pieces, question 4 might move to the top.

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How Can I Tell if It's Real Silver?

A reader named Leslie left a question attached to an earlier post. It was such a good question, we thought it deserved its own post. Here was the question:

I have been collecting many items for over 20 years. I am now getting much of it out of my house. I placed a whole box of 'silver' items in my garage sale last summer. My neighbor came by, saw it, and brought it back to me and told me not to sell them. He said that they were more valuable than I was asking for. I don't know what they are. I don't even know if they are real silver. I bought them because they were pretty. How can I tell what is silver and what is not silver? Some have marks on them, some don't and some marks have all but disappeared. Thank you.

I suppose in this context, the definition of "real" silver is "sterling" silver which is 92.5% silver content. One very common method of identification is to look for the word, "Sterling", imprinted somewhere on a piece. This is not 100% proof but it is a very good indication. If a brand name can be found, it adds additional verification. You may also see the number, "925", "92" or "92.5". This is a clue but not a guarantee. Sterling pieces can have significant value. Look for other posts in this blog to see how value might be affected by condition, custom engraving, etc.

The other common form of silver ware is "silver plate". A silver coating is placed on top of some other metal. Used pieces may look great but do not have significant resale value, generally speaking. Silver plate pieces often have the manufacturer's name and may have additional information regarding the pattern name.

If there are no marks found, try matching the pattern. There are literally thousands of patterns in use today and the task of matching may prove difficult. A dealer in used silver might be able to help.

If all else fails, try polishing the pieces with a good silver polish and see how it looks. This won't help much with proving the silver content but at least, they might look good enough to attract the attention of a potential buyer or you might want to just keep them for your own use.

We welcome photographs sent to us via email. We'll try to help identify a pattern. Click on "View My Complete Profile" in the right column. This will take you to a screen with our email link.

NOTE: Read the update to this post, "How Can I Tell If It's Real Silver? - Part 2", dated June 15, 2009.

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Gorham Hallmarks

After our previous post, we received some emails requesting more information about Gorham hallmarks. We're not experts but we can show some examples.

As we mentioned in the last post, Gorham changed the information it places on pieces. Before 1950, Gorham used symbols to identify forks, spoons and other pieces. The picture below illustrates the three symbols: a lion, an anchor and the letter "G" plus the word, "Sterling". In this example, you also see some patent information on the right. Gorham made minor changes to this format over the years but the basic lion/anchor/G/Sterling combination should always be there. The patent information may not always be there. You may see some sellers use the abbreviation, "LAG", to represent this hallmark pattern.



After 1950, Gorham began to use the words, "Gorham Sterling", for its basic hallmark as illustrated in the picture below. Sometimes, you'll also see the pattern name on teaspoons.

Are pieces with the old marks more valuable? It depends. With all other things being equal, the older pieces probably are a little more valuable. But value is influenced to a much greater degree by the condition of a piece. A newer piece in excellent condition is preferred by many buyers to an older piece with extensive signs of wear.

There are several earlier posts on this blog that discuss markings of various kinds. You should read them in order to have a more complete picture of markings you may find.

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What Do "OM" and "NM" Mean?

Often in an eBay listing title, you will see the terms "OM" or "NM" in a listing title. This is what they mean:

• NM means "no monograms" are found on the piece(s).
• OM means "old marks". You often see this when an old Gorham piece is being offered. Gorham changed the information it placed on the backs of forks, spoons, etc. in 1950. If a seller places OM in the title, it probably means the Gorham piece(s) being offered were manufactured before 1950 and have the old Gorham hallmarks.

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Gorham Weight Marks

We receive many questions regarding the die stamped marks found on the backs of some Gorham pieces. We asked Gorham Customer Service about this. Their reply was, "Up until the 1980's, Gorham sterling was available in different weights:

• H - Heavy
• E - Extra Heavy
• M - Massive
• R - Regular
• T - Trade"

Below are pictures of examples - you may want to click on a picture to see a larger version. As you can see, the weight mark may appear in different places.

The first picture also illustrates an example of a retailer stamping the business name on the back. This was common earlier in the last century. In our opinion, these retailer marks do not devalue a piece. In fact, they may add value because they provide an additional indication of the age of the piece. In this example, the piece evidently was sold originally by J. C. Grogan & Co., founded in 1892 in Pittsburgh.

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