Hi all, I’ve got an antique Tea Urn, which I’ve been told is likely 1880s Sheffield made. Could I ask that anyone that can identify the hallmarks or know more about the piece let me know your thoughts.
Many thanks
Your tea urn / samovar is electroplated, not silver, so, strictly speaking, the markings are not a hallmark. The indicator of electroplate is the EP mark on the right. The manufacturer’s initials are HA&S but unfortunately they have not been identified so it is not possible to give a date and manufacturing location.
Phil
2 Likes
The design of this urn owes a great deal to the neo- Roman advocates of which Thomas Hope was perhaps the leader. Hope was the scion of a wealthy Scottish family. He studied architecture and design and was heavily influenced by Greco-Roman style. The base of this urn or his library tables are the key. Thomas Hope was born in Amsterdam in 1769 and died in London in 1831. His designs outlasted him well into the mid Victorian era. The orb top of the urn is back into the end of the 18th century but this is electro-plate rather than the sandwich plate of silver over copper.
The brothers Harry Wright Atkin (1828-1896), Edward Thomas Atkin (1832-1907), and Frank Shaw Atkin (1837-1901) were the sons of Henry Atkin. In 1853, his sons registered a silver mark as Atkin Bros and occupied Truro Works, Matilda Street The company’s products included cutlery, silver and electro-plate, Britannia metal, and jewellery. In 1871, the factory employed 138 workers (78 men and boys; and 60 women and girls). A decade later, 168 workers were employed at Truro Works (over a hundred men and boys, with over 60 women and girls). Atkin Bros had various silver marks, some of which included the letters ‘HA’. It owned the name ‘TRUROX’ and a trade mark of a Fleur-de-Lys held in a hand. I have not seen the trade mark “HA&S” specifically ascribed to Atkin but before saying it isn’t it would be useful to eliminate that by reference to its records.
Both the UK Trade Mark office and the Patent Office records are a valuable assistance and the assess is without fee,
In 1958, Atkin Bros’ flatware dies and patterns were acquired by C. J. Vander Ltd. The holloware side of Atkins was sold to Adie Bros, Birmingham.
So likely the pattern drawings for this urn may be in the care and custody of successors to Adie Bros. In the late 1960s that firm became part of British Silverware which in 1968 became a subsidiary of Delta Metal Co. Ltd. which went into liquidation in 2016.
THE DELTA METAL COMPANY LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK.
Hi, really appreciate the time taken for the above response. Many thanks for your insight, very useful