Cake Basket Rogers Smith & Co.

This Cake basket is a lovely piece from the Rogers, Smith and Company of Meriden Connecticut.It also has the piece number of 1803. I got it at auction for a song. I love the butterflies that are inside the bowl and the tall pedestal. Around the bowl it has a floral relief except for one really strange bird head.

The Rogers,Smith & Co.
Meriden Connecticut

Founded:
January 1, 1857

Manufactured:
Holloware
Flatware

Founders
William Rogers Sr.
George W. Smith

Mergers:
August 12 1862 with Rogers Bros. Mfg. Co.

August 12, 1862 their flatware division was sold to the Meriden Britannia Co.
The Rogers left to work with them.

Edward Mitchell of the Rogers, Smith and Co. bought the hollowware division.


Rogers, Smith & Co.
New Haven Connecticut

Founded:
November 6, 1862

Manufactured:
Holloware

Founder:
Edward Mitchell

Mergers:
January 13, 1863 bought by Meriden Britannia Co.
Continued in New haven using Rogers, Smith & Co. marks
June 1865 plating shop moved to Meriden Connecticut - Marks will read Meriden
Move completed by January 1, 1866
All facilities incorporated into Meriden Britannia Company by 1877

By 1898 when the International Silver Company was formed it was a trademark owned by the Meriden Britannia Company but had ceases to produce as a division.

Found in Shawnee Oklahoma Meriden Pitcher

 

Last weekend was sort of a bust for silver hunting. I can't really recall finding anything really good. This weekend was sooooo mush better. It comes and goes like that. I think the main thing is persistence.  I mean I could find things every weekend if I just went up to the shops in the city and bought something I liked. But finding pieces, quality pieces, that I like at my budget is a bit of hard work. I mean to say it is hard work I enjoy. 

This piece is a great example. It was on a shelf, in a store in Shawnee Oklahoma. Behind a bunch of other stuff, low in the dark, so easy to miss. I was looking at a Greek revival (no maker) baby cup that was priced for a dollar and low and behold at the back was this little gem. It is from the Meriden Britannia Company. I have seen this in a catalogue but my quick searches this morning did not turn up the right one. I think it will polish up nicely. The faces vary all around the base. I think if I get some time I may provide the panoramic view this is such a nice little piece.

!847 Rogers Brothers Charter Oak Advertisment. Perason's 1907

A New Pattern
in a Famous Brand

CHARTER OAK is the name of the newest
pattern in" 11.17 ROGERS DROS." " Silver Plate
that Wears." Particularly appropriate is this
name for the pattern brought out in the 6oth
anniversary year of the original Rogers
Brothers ware, which was first made iu 1847
in Hartford, the home of the Charter Oak. "1847 Rogers Bros:

knives, spoons, forks, etc., enjoy the distinc-
tion of being the best in silver plate. The
Charter Oak pattern is noteworthy in
the richness and finish of the design,
which is a combination of Bright and
French Gray, giving to the various pieces
an unusual degree of beauty anil charac-
ter. Send for Catalogue " J-38 " show.-
ing this and the other leading patterns.

MERIDEN BRITANNIA CO., Meriden, Conn.

(International Silver Co., Successor.)

Advertisment for the Charter Oak Pattern From 1847 Rogers Brothers

This is an advertisement found in Pearson's Magazine 1907. It features the Charter Oak pattern and Ralston Health Food. It does give a brief reason why Charter Oak is named Charter Oak. 

1847 Rogers Brothers Advertisment with Old Colony and Cromwell Patterns

This is an advertisement from House Beautiful in 1914. It contains examples of the Old Colony and Cromwell patterns. The makers listing is the International Silver Co. successors to the Meriden Britannia Co. which joined with other makers to form International in 1898. I do not know who the woman in the bonnet is but she appears quite often in advertisements for the1847 Rogers Bros. line of goods.

Showing Off a New Butter Dish

 

So I wanted to show off more from my Super Silver Saturday from last week. Besides the goblet and candlestick, I also picked up this butter dish for a steal. It is from the Meriden Britannia Company. It is also marked "1884" which is the manufacturers piece number not the year. 

Now before you get too excited there are a few things you should know. First, the plate even with tarnish is in excellent condition. The inside of the piece as well. As you can see it has a big G on the front and a flower finial. Plus the legs are stunning.  It almost looks alien in its design. It was not the prettiest butter dish I saw that day, but was tucked away on a high shelf forgotten, forlorn and on sale.  I am going to guess that it is late Victorian

(1880s - 1890s), but I have not located it (yet) in any of the Meriden Britannia Company catalogues.

Now for the bad part. Someone at sometime painted the outside silver. It just had little droplets of silver paint all over the place. But if you remember I like to think of silver collecting as a type of archeology. So someone ruined this piece, I think given time I can clean it up. If this piece of artwork can survive over one hundred years then I can finish the job someone started in paint removal. I have started reading about removing paint from silver. There is more information about this from jewelers on the internet than anyone else. It appears the main thing, (and this is not a surprise) is to avoid any paint remover with sulfur.  

This will be a lot of work but if I can salvage it, I can take a piece from a level I can afford and move it to a level I cannot. Even if I fail, I still have a butter dish that, guess what, can hold butter.   If I get the paint off the only remaining issues are a slightly bent knife holder and a tiny dent on the bottom. Which for its age should not detract from its value.

Butter Dish, Rogers Smith & Company

Looked at this pretty nice butter dish this weekend. It was a bit out of my price range. Still, it is a good idea to study pieces even if they are out of your price range. The first good reason is if you win the lottery you will be prepared for the pieces you want. Second, it helps your silver education. This piece was at an antique mall I had not been to for a couple of years. I was surprised at the amount of silver they had available. Some of it quite good. Most of it quite pricey. They had a very nice goat dish that I got a picture of. I hope to post that soon. It was pretty nice for a small serving piece. This butter dish seemed to be in pretty good condition. It had some plate missing but it was in places where it would be expected. I did not get the chance to look inside so I do not know the full condition.  Being locked in a case I did not want to bother the owners to get it out for me.

This piece was made by the Rogers Smith & Co.  It is marked West Meriden.

This firm was organized in 1857 and consolidated with the Rogers Brothers Manufacturing Co. in 1861.

The flatware division of Rogers Brother Mfg. Co. was sold to Meriden Britannia Co..

In 1862 Edward Mitchell bought out the holloware division of Rogers Brothers Mfg. Co..
He formed the Rogers Smith & Co. of New Haven.

In 1863 Meriden Britannia Company bought this out and continued using the factory in New Haven.

The works of the factory were moved to Meriden in 1865 and consolidated in 1866.

In 1877 the mark and works were fully incorporated into Meriden Britannia Company.   

According to Rainwater (2004) a piece marked "West Meriden" would have been made between 1877 and the early 1880's. 

Book Review: Victorian Silverplated Holloware 1857, 1887, 1883

Victorian Silverplated Holloware:  
Tea Services, caster sets, ice water pitchers, card receivers, napkin rings, knife rest, toilet sets, goblets, cups, trays and waiters, epergnes, butter dishes, pickle casters, salts, tureens, communion services
Rogers Brothers Mfg. Co., 1857
Meriden Britannia Co., 1867
Derby Silver Co., 1883

1972
Wallace-Homestead Book Co.
Des Moines, Iowa

ISBN #0-87069-154-6

This is a fantastic book with a ridiculously long title and no clear single author. It consist of catalouge material (those found in the title) provided by the Historical Library of the International Silver Company (INSILCO) and assisted by the resident historian E. P. Hogan.  The introduction (pages 1-15) provide a brief overview of silver history and silver plate manufacturing in the United States. The authors then provide a brief reading list.

Chapter1

The first of three chapters covers the Rogers Brothers Mfg. Co.. Pages 17-18 are a short history of the company. Pages 19-38 are a reproduction of their catalogue from 1857. If you are attempting to learn period styles this is a very useful resource. If you are attempting to identify pieces, it might be possible to find your piece here, however, it would be pure luck if you came across it.

Rogers Brothers Mfg. Co. officially formed in 1853 from its beginnings as the William Rogers and Company. William Rogers being the oldest of the brothers. In 1847 William Rogers and Company first advertised that they could supply plated flatware on German silver. The catalogue reproduced here was created by Sarony, Major, and Knapp and was printed in two colours. It is essentialy line drawings of the line of wares avaliable. In 1862 the Rogers and Brothers Mfg. Co. was adsorbed into the Meriden Britannia Company.

Chapter 2

Chapter two is a paragraph covering the Meriden Britannia Company then the partial reproduction of their 1867 (138 page) catalouge Heavily Electro Plated Nickel Silver and White Metal Goods. This catalouge appears to be their first and started a trend of production that would lead to the massive 1886 catalogue of over 400 pages.  If you wish to see Victorian silverplate in its varied and interesting forms then this chapter is crucial to expanding your understanding. The variety of the goods and the clarity of the woodcuts are fascinating.

Chapter 3

Chapter three reprints part of the Derby Silver Company catalogue of 1883. Both Derby and Meriden would be founding members of the International Silver Company in 1898. The authors make the argument that comparison of the Derby and Meriden Britannia catalogue shows that Derby's designers "lacked something of the suavity and sophistication of those employed at Meriden" (page, 105) But they fail to realize that the catalogues are sixteen years apart and the market, styles and economics had changed for silverplate in that time. They do mention that this catalogue showed a shift towards oriental themes being popular in silver. I own several pieces of Derby, and find it to be rather pleasing. Furthermore, as a less popular maker it helps to make Victorian and post Victorian silverplate affordable for a collector in my price range.  In fact I have my eye on a couple of Derby art nouveau candlesticks downtown.

Of all three catalogues published here the Derby catalogue has the most interesting and  greatest variety of goods.

This book provides a minimum of original historical research, but as a text containing examples in a format that allows a longitudinal historical comparison it is fantastic. This is a text that lends itself to original research.  This fills an important niche in silver research. The price of original catalogues is astronomical,  further most catalogues held by libraries are only viewable if you happen to visit. Books like this one fill an important area for the silver enthusiast. this book itself is becoming a bit rarer. I had to borrow my copy from the Iowa State University Library. But it is available from time to time at the usual online book retailers.

The Derby Factory

 

The Meriden Name Problem

Meriden Connecticut was center of silver and silver plate manufacturing. There were a few companies with Meriden in their name and I thought a short list might be useful to understanding the difference between them. (Similar names is an issue that has often been a source of confusion to me don't even get me started on flatware manufacturers)  The formation of the International Silver Company helped to consolidate these companies but it still used a variety of marks from the companies that formed it to indicate levels of quality.

A Few Facts (these will be on the test): The Meriden Silver Plate Co.

1. The Meriden Silver Plate Co. Was started in 1869.

2. It's factories were in Meriden Connecticut.

3. It helped form the International Silver Company in 1898.

4. It is not the same company as the Meriden Britannia Company.

5. Marks used into the 1930's.

6. Marks read: The Meriden Silver Plate Co., The Meriden S.P.Co., International S.Co., Eureka Silver Co.,   

A Few More Facts:  The Meriden Britannia Company

1. Started in 1852.

2.  First formed for creating Britannia (white metal) Hollowware.

3.  Offering plated ware by 1855

4.  In 1862 joined by the Rogers Brothers. (who used the 1847 Rogers Brothers mark from Hartford)    -the mess of "Rogerses" is something we will seek to unravel later.

5.  Had London and Canadian Branches.

6. Had sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Fransisco.

7. 1898 - One of the founding members, and leading organizers of the International Silver Company.

8. The Meriden Britannia Company's marks were used until the 1930's.

9. Marks read Meriden B. Company, Sillimans Silver Ring, M.B. Co, M B C E P (in shields)

You can make a comparison of  the Meridian Britannia Company and the Meriden Silver Plate Co. marks at two wonderful sites.

First is the site 925-1000, they have an awesome list of marks, and a great library.

You can view it here.

Second is The Online Encyclopedia of American Silver Marks. This site is also a great resource for the collector.


You can view it here.

One More Meriden: Meriden Britannia Co. LTD.

1. Located in Hamilton Ontario.

2. Founded in 1879.

3. Canadian branch of Meriden Britannia Company.

4. Produced flatware (1847 Rogers, sterling)

5. Merged with International Silver Co. of Canada ~ 1912

Another Company: Meriden Cutlery Company

1. Early founding  - 1834

2. Started by  G. and D.N. Ropes (cutlery manufacturers) in Maine.

3. Business acquired by Julius Pratt & Co. of Meriden

4. 1845 merger creates Pratt, Ropes, Webb & Co. -located in Hanover Connecticut

5. 1855 Joint stock company Meriden Cutlery Company formed located in South Meriden Connecticut.

6. 1866 Purchased by Landers, Fray and Clarke.

7.  Landers, Fray and Clarke out of business in the 1960's

8. Made table cutlery, carving sets,  pearl handled cutlery, carving knives with sterling silver blades, some sterling

9. A January 2, 1891 Advertisement list their "Patented Celluloid Handle"

You can view this advert here.


The New Your Times had this to say about the Company in 1877.

Sale of American Cutlery

February 14, 1877, Wednesday

"The first public sale of cutlery under the auspices of the Table Cutlery Manufacturers' Association of the United States comprising the Beaver Falls Cutlery Company, Landers, Frary Clark, John Russel Cutlery Company, Meriden Cutlery Company, Chicago Cutlery Manufacturing Company, and Lamson Goodnow Manufacturing Company was begun yesterday."

You can read the whole article in .pdf here.

Two Final Meridens

1. Meriden Jly Co. or Meriden Jewelry Co.

2. Meriden Sterling Co. 1896-1904

The work A Historical Record and Pictorial Description of the Town of Meriden, The Town of Meriden Connecticut "The Silver City" (1906) By Charles Bancroft Gillespie, George Munsor Curtis covers the history of manufacturers in Meriden. Large sections of the book focus on the International Silver Company and covers at length both the Meriden Britannia Company and the Meriden Silver Plate Co. as well as other silver companies. It also gives the general history of the town on Meriden. This is an invaluable resource.