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William Page & Co.
Help sought on William Page spoon marks - www.925-1000.com
English electroplate silver: marks and hallmarks of British silver plate: Pa-Pg
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Relying on always spot-on research by Bart, you and he show a WP inside a crown. So we can say with some confidence this is pre-1896 when the use of crowns by platers was banned as it tended to confuse with the Sheffield town assay mark, also a crown.
In fact I think it is earlier.
The use of the crown as a symbol on silverware from Sheffield was authorized when the Sheffield Assay Office was established by Act of Parliament in 1773. The crown served as the official town mark to denote the assay office’s jurisdiction over Sheffield and Hallamshire.
William Page was active in Birmingham from 1829 as close plater (old Sheffield plate) and nickel silver silver maker starting at Belmont Row. then moving to 74 Dale’s End, Lawley St. and finally Curzon St where he switched into electroplating following the patent registration of the process by Elkington
Later as an electroplater, he operated in Cattle’s Grove, Nechell’s Green and the old Curzon St. location. By 1880 the business was also noted as active at Cranmore St, Cattle’s Grove and 55 Albion St, Birmingham.
So, given this is electroplate it was made before 1896 and probably after 1846 which was when the system came in to general use.
Which means it is strictly-speaking, neither fake silver marks nor silver, the two head-lined options you start from! It’s an electroplated King’s Pattern (name after Geo. III) mustard or salt spoon, single struck (not patterned on the back) and showing some remnants of original gilt work on the bowl. Nice find!
CRWW
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Thank you for your information, I found it in a box of old cutlery my Dad had laying around, that spoon just looked nicer than the others and I gave it a polish up and wanted to know more about it.
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King’s Pattern mustard or salt spoons come up fairly often, sometimes in sets of six or twelve at which point they are called egg spoons!
Amazing, Americans invented a hundred different utensils for the same purpose, the Brits invented a hundred different purposes for the same utensil.
CRWW
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