I am trying to identify the pattern and information on what I believe is a 3 piece Frank M. Whiting & Company tea set, likely sold through Brock & Company in Los Angeles. The pieces have stamps that are “Sterling”, “Brock & Company” and mark with a W in a circle and 3 stylized leaves on each side of the circle (appear to be a Whiting stamp, and a number “9340”. Any ideas?
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A clear, closeup photo of the marks would be nice!
ETA: But just from the description, it’s clear that this is, indeed, from Whiting:
The 9340 would be an item number of some sort. Unless someone has an old catalog, there’s no telling when that might have been produced.
There are 4 marks, the same on each piece - it might have been an exclusive pattern for Brock & Company in Los Angeles.
A reasonable hypothesis - the retailer’s mark isn’t ordinarily stamped on pieces like this unless the design is exclusive.
(Please don’t downsize your images before posting them - that makes it impossible for us to zoom in on them to see the details.)
ETA: And the mark at left is, indeed, the Whiting logo, so no doubt about the maker. 
That’s better!
Just confirms everything - sterling, made by Whiting, retailed by Brock, with an item number of unknown significance (not unusual - that kind of documentation is usually lost in the mists of time).
Does this make sense? It leads to a date.
The oval medallions with starbursts are unusual for Whiting, which often favored floral or scroll motifs. This geometric, almost neoclassical element could place the design in the 1910s–1920s transitional period between Edwardian elegance and early Art Deco.
That makes some sense, but dating pieces from their style is a tricky business. I’m often surprised at the solid dates on U.K. silver, for example, that place them firmly about 30 years off from what I would have guessed, just based on the style. Especially dodgy with a company like Whiting, whose range of styles was staggering.
I believe the “flying W” mark, at least, puts it after 1896. Whiting did use a date coding system from 1905-1924, but I don’t see one of those little marks on your piece. Worth doing some magnifying glass hunting, since that would pin it down very nicely.
Lovely set. Post 1896 but before 1940 when it was sold to Ellmore silver. I feel like it should be a 4 piece and that that might be the coffee pot?
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