(I just moved this from “Photographing Silver” forum to this one. Newbie.)
I have had for 35 or so years a beautiful old 8 1/2" long tablespoon that looks & feels for all the world like coin silver–plain fiddle shape with chamfered edge-- but is clearly engraved on the back, ROGERS. BRO’S and under that, SOLD IN ALBATA. No other marks of any kind.
Now in Googling I find that Albata is defined as a type of white metal alloy like “German” silver, but that is absolutely all the info available on the web. Nothing about Rogers Bro’s. ever making flatware in it.
The curious phrase, “Sold in Albata” makes me wonder if it might have been a salesman’s sample piece.
Anyone ever seen this mark before and know anything about it?
Hi there and welcome to silver-collector. The Rogers family of American silversmiths is huge and it like researching the origin of man…I have to make a quick trip out of town and will try to offer some info tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks, Uncle Vic. No, the printing is crystal clear: SOLD IN ALBATA.
My other thought is that Rogers Bros. sold silver plated Albata flatware at the same time, and marked the unplated Albata this way to distinguish it from the plated. Does that make sense?
(I bought it, BTW, from an antiques dealer who was as mystified as I. She had bought it assuming it was coin silver. I have a collection of coin silver spoons in every size, and this one polished up and held side by side with one of them would fool anyone–maybe just a tad bluer if you’re looking for it. I’m really surprised that there aren’t–or don’t seem to be–lots of them still around. It sure beats the heck out of any old,well-used, plated spoon I’ve ever seen.)
The mark “Rogers Bros” ws first used in 1847 and the company made silverplated flatware. In 1862 the company was acquired by the Meriden Britannia Co. which made silverplated and white metal (thus Albata, a white metal) flatware. The Rogers Bros. tradename was continued. In 1897 Meriden and a number of other companies were combined to form the International Silver Co, which also continued to use the Rogers Bros. trade name.
My guess is your spoon was made during the Meriden era. The “Sold in Albata” baffles me as well.
The Meriden white metal goods were marked with a round mark with a shield, but the Rogers Bros. line just used the words Rogers Bros. I see no mention of “albata” in my resources in connection with any of these makers, just “white metal” or “Britannia”.
I wish everyone who visits here happy holidays and a good new year. I’m shucking a sack of fine Louisiana oysters for our turkey dressing, plus some baked Oysters Mosca, a recipe from a famous old New Orleans restaurant. Oysters, olive oil, Italian bread crumbs, garlic, and parm. cheese baked in a deep dish…yowie, about the best thing you ever ate and real easy to prepare, other than shucking the oysters. But I’m a semi-pro at it, worked in an oyster bar during college.