Hi. Looking for help in identifing this. It’s a large soup ladle with engraved initials on handle, possibly “JB”. Looks pretty old but “hallmarks” are proving difficult to decipher. They are clear but incomplete. Damage on the handle and the casting process fixes that you can see in the image (they are not part of inscription as there is one on the back too) also leads me to believe it may be solid silver rather than plated. Its a big piece so I want to be 100% sure. Not sure of its age but it’s been in the family since ~1910 and everyone is convinced it is solid silver which means it’s probably not 
Thanks in advance
It’s electroplated, not solid silver. If you turn your first image over you will see that the mark begins with IH, then there’s a bird’s head looking down, S and finally the cross. These are the marks of John Harrison & Co of Sheffield. See English electroplate silver: marks and hallmarks of British silver plate: Ha-Hh.
Phil
Wow. That’s good. Your work I mean, not the fact that it’s plated
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Agree it’s this:

Any chance of estimating the date based on this info?
Probably 1870 - 1889 based on the company’s history from the linked reference.
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I’ll go with that. I know my grandad had it in the house in 1910 so produced some time before that fits.
Thanks for sharing your expertise.