Silver Plated Epergne... anyone know anything about this?

Last summer I acquired a silver-plated erpgerne. It has 5 arms and 5 tulip-shaped cups that look like they were meant to hold flowers, though I’m not sure. On the bottom of one of the feet is stamped L.F.S Ltd, which I found to be the makers mark of Israel Freeman and Son, Limited. To the right of that is stamped, “Silver plated” and England". It’ stands about 9 inches tall and about 8 inches across.

I would love to know how old this piece might be, any history on it, and what it could be worth. It’s tarnished, which is why it has a gun-metal patina to it. I was told not to polish it, as that could detract from the value. Any information on this is greatly appreciated! :slight_smile:

Here it is: s175.photobucket.com/albums/w123 … ergne1.jpg

Electroplate has little commercial value and dating it is very difficult. You will find a little bit about Freemans here which will give you some possible time spans for the origin of your epergne.

Silver and silver plate should be polished. The longer you leave the tarnish on the harder it will be to remove and your epergne will look so much better with a bit of a shine.