Hi,
I have a spoon with some unusual hallmarks, can anybody help ID them?
Many thanks,
Rick
I believe this is silver plate from Josiah Adams & Sons, Birmingham. The last punch may be an “A,” indicating the quality of the plating, but there were no regulations about that - the makers just invented their own markings.
Hi, many thanks, would you know roughly how old it is?
Cheers
Rick
It’s usually impossible to date silverplate - only a handful of manufacturers adopted any sort of date-lettering system, and even some of them used their own systems only sporadically.
Adams appears to have been active around 1900, and I’ve seen at least one reference to a silverplated serving spoon once owned by Highland Railway, indicating that Adams may have supplied utensils to the service industry - restaurants, railways, hotels, etc. But there’s very little information out there about the company.
Decorative value only, of course.
ETA: This, by the way, is why objects like this, when offered for sale, are described only as “vintage” - that’s the best the seller can do. 