Israel Freeman & son LTD

British Silver Reading Silver Hallmarks
1

Daniel,
I have what I think is a vanity tray made by Israel Freeman and Son. It is stamped “Made in England”. I have identified the makers mark but I cannot find any information on the maker at all. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

2

Hi Steve,
I have to say you have stumped me on this. I have never heard of Israel Freeman, and can find no reference to him in any of my books. If you can post an image of the mark I will keep searching for an answer.

Best regards
Daniel

3

Hi Daniel,

I tried to take a picture but that did not work. I did find a resource that had pictures so here it goes. The only difference between the photo and the hallmark I have is this:
Below the letters I.F.S it has Hand Chased and below that it has Made In England. I know that it is silverplate on copper because the feet on the bottom of the tray are slightly worn and you can see the copper. I will try to take some pics to show you the chasing.

Thanks for your help,
Steve

P.S. That is a hand holding a hammer above the letters I.F.S. Ltd.
ifs.jpg

4

Daniel,

     Here are some pics of the chasing and of the bottom of the tray.  Would you be able to give me an approximate value of this item?

Thanks,
Steve
ifs2.JPG
ifs3.JPG

5

Hi Daniel,
Any luck with the hallmark and tray?
Thanks
Steve

6

Hi Steve,
Sorry I haven’t got back to you on this.

All I have been able to find is that I Freeman & Sons were registered as silver and plate dealers, not silversmiths. They were registered at 23 Hatton Garden, and the first mention of them is from around 1928. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to trace the pate mark of the hand holding a hammer.

I should think that as your tray is on copper it would have been made around 1950, as this was when the technique of electroplating copper was first introduced. I would estimate the value of the tray to be around £50-£100.

I hope this helps a bit, I will post more if I find anything further.
Again, sorry for taking so long to reply.

Daniel

7

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the info, it helps alot. Do you think the tray is worth having it replated? There is silver missing in the chasing and around the top edge and side.
Thanks
Steve

8

Hi Steve,
Replating the tray would probably cost more than it is actually worth, so I would suggest only getting it replated for aesthetic reasons, if you don’t like the look of it at the moment, then have it done.

It wont make any difference to the price of the tray, that is for certain.

All the best
Daniel