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Another blog

As many of you know I work with antiques other than just in silver. I created a new blog for that stuff and you can read it here.

http://hustlingantiques.blogspot.com/

A nice selection of Victorian silverplate.

Detail of a butter dish

Simpson Hall & Miller water pitcher

This was at one point a beautiful water pitcher by Simpson Hall & Miller. Marked as patented July 5th 1881, it has had a hard life. It's missing it's inside liner. The finial is broken. The plate is damaged, yet with its fish handle and marvelous spout it still retains some of its former glory.

Homan Silver Co. Sick Call Priest Set

This is a traveling set for a priest to take to a persons house
complete with wooden box. Like an altar in a box.

How Much is my Silver Worth?

So in all likelihood you got here searching for information on some silver. I do the history of silver and appraise in person. I do not appraise online. Value is hard to determine, but I have a friend who is developing his skills online and developing an online (free) appraisal service. If you want a value check out his site and ask him for advice:

http://www.thenakedappraiser.com/

If you live in Oklahoma send me an email

redavis001 (at) gmail.com

Creamer marked E.P.C.

I try to clean out the collection every now and then. This means taking pieces out and selling them or giving them away to other collectors and he like. Every time I go through this process  this piece gets pulled out and examined. I never get rid of it. I like it too much. It has no maker, the plate is gone, I have better creamers, but I love the handle that looks like a bent Greek Ionic column. 

Its only mark is E.P.C. or Electro-Plate Copper. You can see the green copper tarnish in the picture that has formed on its side. Its heavy for its size and I am guessing that it was part of a low price hotel or restaurant ware set. I like it and will one day find a use for it. so for now it is safe, protected and cherished by a collector. 

Homan Manufacturing Company Butter Dish

This little fellow is dented, has plate loss and the holder for he butter knife is pinched. I use it to hold pocket change. Old silver always wants to serve, it was born to serve and if you are creative you can find it a job. Plus, I really love the floral motif on this piece. 

I am also charmed by the fact that this butter dish was made by a small maker, the Homan Silverplate Co. from Cincinnati Ohio. The mark indicates that it was manufactured after 1896. 

Homan Manufacturing Company

Founded:

     1847

Closed: 

     1941

Founders/Managers:

     Asa F. Flagg -Retired 1854

     Henry Homan - Died 1865

     M.Miller- Joined as partner in 1854

     1865-Firm managed by Margaret Homan (Henry Homan's widow)

     and their sons:

     Frank Homan (Died 1880)

     Louis Homan

     and

     Joseph T. Homan

     

     Margaret Homan retired in 1887

Notes:

     Originally made britannia ware, german silver and pewter.

     1864 or thereabouts began silver plating operations

     

     Were known for their ecclesiastical wares.

     

     Made wares for river boats on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

     1896 firm changed names to Homan Silver Plate Co. 

     1904-1915 (somewhere in there) changed name to Homan Manufacturing Co. 

Marks:

     Homan and Co.

     Flagg and Homan

     Homan Silver Plate Co. (often with snarled anchor in round cartouche)

     Homan and Company Cincinnati

     Outfit (with cross) on church goods

     Richfield Plate Co. (Low cost goods)

     Sick-Call

     Special Metal (with hammer and crucible with H in crucible)

     Homan Mfg. Co. (with snarled anchor in round cartouche)

Book Review St. Louis Silversmiths

St. Louis Silversmiths is a book I had been looking forward to examining for a few weeks now. Ever since I purchased a Mermond-Jaccard silverplate tea service that I gave as a Christmas present, but for some reason failed to get a picture of. At any rate, Mermond-Jaccard was a major maker and jewelry store in St. Louis. In doing research on them I found this book and ordered it through my ILL account. I did this right before the holiday and have been waiting for it to arrive. Over the holiday I also had the chance to view a few books recently purchased by a friend and fellow collector. One I enjoyed was entitled Silversmiths of Kentucky. I looked forward to a complete and well researched book like this on St. Louis silversmiths. 

I was disappointed. 

While there is nothing particulary wrong with this volume its content and piece list were not the complete  

record of St. Louis Silversmiths I had hoped it would be. While this volume is not as good as other more specialized catalogs I had thought it to be, it is still an interesting if short read.

Made for an exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum in 1980, the first six pages give a broad overview of silversmithing in St. Louis. The remainder of the books 39 pages is an alphabetical list of silversmiths that worked in the St. Louis area. The listings are simple giving a name approximate dates and a verbal description of their marks if they were available. There are also several pictures of silver made in St. Louis from its founding to the modern period.

This book does a good job of listing what it lists but I fear I have been spoiled by online databases of silver information. At a going rate of about $20.00 used I fear there are other books that will be in line before it for the library. However, I am grateful that even in its incomplete form that it is available for consultation.