Nickel Silver, German Silver, Alpacca, Panama Silver, Brazil Silver, Raydium Silver, Aztec Silvor

Sometimes you find a piece of flatware and it is marked as nickel silver, German Silver, Brazil Silver, Alaska Silver, Panama Silver, or Alpacca. I have one piece marked Raydium Silver, it seems really rare. I am going to be blunt with you here, these are not silver. They may be silver in colour but they are not silver. They do not contain silver. They are not the chemical Ag.  They can only be alone or plated with silver.

These pieces are white metal. They can be plated with silver but they are not silver from Brazil, Panama, or Germany.  I cant stress this enough because I see pieces all the time sold as silver from Brazil etc.  They usually contain a proprietary compound of Nickel, Tin, Copper and Zinc. They may contain all or parts of the above list. Each company developed their own formula that fit their needs and cost. This may have changed over time and as the cost of the materials rose and fell.

Now if you have a piece that reads Electro Plate Nickel Silver or EPNS then you have silver plate. This is a thin layer of silver deposited in a chemical reaction on top of the nickel silver, white metal or britannia.

So its not silver is it worth anything?
Yes, Many companies such as Rogers Brothers made flatware in both silverplate and nickel silver. The nickel silver flatware cost less and looked like silver so it was a popular seller. For the maker it was just stopping the production of the silverplate manufacturing process early so they could produce flatware more cheaply. That is they just skipped all the plating and polishing steps. It therefore has a historical value.

It does not have a major market. While many patterns are found in nickel silver and silverplate, it is collected less. This means if you wish to sell it it is going to be harder to find a buyer. However, a spoon in nickel silver and a spoon in sterling scoop ice cream to your lips just as well.  So it has value as a useful object.

Besides in a world filled with cheap stamped stainless or worse steel, having a fork made in the 1900's even if it not "real" silver is still something most people could never dream of.

Top Knife is marked American Nickel Silver.
Second Knife if marked Solid Brazil Silver.
Top spoon is marked Raydium Silver.
Second Spoon is marked Brown & Bros. German Silver.
Fork is Marked W Nickel Silver 18.
Bottom Knife is marked Panama Silver.

Top Spoon is marked DS in a diamond Alpaca Silver.
Second spoon (damaged) is marked PatApldfor Panama, it appears to be nickel silver.
Third spoon is marked Aztec Silvor with an arrow.
Last spoon has no mark and is chrome plated steel.

Spoon is marked Wm. A. Rogers Nickel Silver.
Fork is marked Rogers Nickel Silver.

Clearing up the Rogers Confusion: Marks and Manufacturers

There are a number of makers of silver (both sterling and silverplate) that use the Rogers name. This post is an attempt to create a list, history, and database that will make this situation a little less confusing. I do not imagine that I will be able to get everything down in one go. This means that this post will probably be edited several times. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment. If you are able to use any of this information please link to the page.

One of the first things to think about are the companies. Lots of companies used Rogers in their name.  These companies formed, merged, separated, folded and absorbed by each other.

The second thing to think about are the backstamps or marks. Many companies used marks with the name Rogers in it. Many of these marks ended up being owned by two major companies International Silver Company and Oneida. Before that many of these marks were owned by a variety of companies and were bought and sold through a variety of business cycles.  

List of Companies with Rogers in the name.


Joseph Rodgers and Sons

Place:  
     Sheffield England
Years:
     1682 - Present

Asa Rogers Jr. & Co.
     1832 - 1838
     Renamed from Rogers & Cole


Rogers & Britten
Place:
     West Stratford Connecticut
Years:    
     1880 - 1882
Mergers:
     Taken over by Holmes and Edwards

Rogers & Brothers
Rogers Brothers

Place:  
      Waterbury Connecticut
Year:  
     1847 - 1855
Founders:
     Asa Rogers
     Simeon Rogers
     Leroy S. White
     David B. Hamilton
Mergers and Notes:
     1855 Changed name to Rogers & Bros. Mfg. Co.
     Joined International Silver Company in 1898
     Marks used until 1976
 Marks:
     (Star) Rogers & Bro. A1
     R. & B.
     (Star) Rogers & Brothers, 12
     (Star) R & B
     Manor Plate

                                                       This marks is found on hollowware


Church and Rogers
Years:
      1825 - 1841
Founders:
     William Rogers and Joseph Church

Rogers Brothers Manufacturing Company
Rogers Bros. Mfg. Co.


Years:
     1853 - 1861
Founders:
     William Rogers
     Asa Rogers Jr.
     Simeon Rogers
Mergers:
     Merged with Rogers, Smith & Co. in 1861
     Part of International Silver company


C. Rogers & Brothers
Place:  
     Meriden Connecticut
Year:  
     1866 - 1903
Founders:
     Cephas B. Rogers
     Gilbert Rogers
     Wilbur F. Rogers
Mergers:
     Bought out by International Silver Co, in 1903
     Trademarks retired by International Silver Company

Rogers & Cole
Place:  
     New Britain Connecticut
Year:  
     1830 - 1832
Founders:
     Asa Rogers Jr.
     John A. Cole
     Coin Flatware

Rogers Cutlery Co.
Place:
     Hartford Connecticut
Years:
     1871 - 1879
Mergers:
     Merged with Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co. in 1879
     Merged with International Silver Company in 1898

F. B. Rogers Silver Company
Place:  
     Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
Years:
     1883 - 1886 to present
Mergers:  
     Absorbed West Silver Company.

Moved to:  
     Taunton,  Massachusetts
     1886 - Present
     1955 Bought by National Silver Company
     Bought by J.C. Boardman in 1985

 Mark:

Frank W. Rogers
     Hartford, Connecticut
     1875 - ?
     Frank W. Rogers

Rogers & Hamilton Company
Place:  
     Waterbury, Connecticut
Years:  
     1886 - 1898
Mergers:
     Merged with International Silver Company 1898
Founders:  
     Charles Alfred Hamilton
     William H. Rogers - Cigar dealer hired and made secretary so the Rogers name could be used.

Henry Rogers, Sons & Co.
     Montreal Canada
     1909 - 1915

H.O. Rogers Silver Co.
Place:
      Taunton, Massachusetts
Years:
      Dates unknown

J. Rogers Silver Co., Inc.
     Little known

Rogers, Lunt & Bowlen Co.
     Greenfield, Massachusetts
Mark:

Rogers & Mead
Place:  
     Hartford Connecticut
Years:
     1845 - 1846
Founders:
     William Rogers
     Asa Rogers
     J.O. Meade

Rogers Park Silverware Co.
Place:  
     Chicago Illinois
Place:
     ? - 1895

Rogers Silverplate Co.
Place:  
     Danbury, Connecticut
Years:
     1869 - 1922 - Early 1950s
Founders:
     Nathaniel Burton Rogers
     Cephas B. Rogers
     Gilbert H. Rogers
Mergers:
     Relations to the C. Rogers & Brothers in Meriden Connecticut
     Purchased by Cephas B. Rogers II manufactured under Rogers name until 1950s.

Mark:

Simeon L. & George H. Rogers Co.
S.L. & G. H. Rogers Co.
S.L. & G. H. R. Co.
Place:  
     Hartford, Connecticut
Years:
     1900 - 1929
Mergers:
     Absorbed by Wm. A. Rogers Ltd. in 1918
     Absorbed by Oneida in 1929
     Marks used by Oneida

Marks:

Rogers, Smith & Co. -There are Two of these! (but they are related and end up in the same place)

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.

Rogers & Spurr Mfg. Co.
Place:  
     Greenfield Massachusetts
Year:
     1879 - ?    
Founders:
     David C. Rogers
     George F. Rogers
     George W. Spurr
     L.C. Pratt

Product:
     Made flatware
Mergers:
     Took over George W. Spurr & Co. 1873 - 1879
Marks:
     Mark reads: Rogers & Sons Greenfield, Mass

Wm. A. Rogers, Ltd.
      This is a big one that will take some time as well.

Mark:

William Rogers & Co.
 Years:  
     1841 - 1855
Made:
     Coin silver
Mergers:
     Became Rogers Bro. Mfg Co.
Mark:     
   (eagle) Wm. Rogers & Co. (Star)
   Mark taken over by Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co.
   This is then taken over by the International Silver Company








William Rogers Jr.
     Also a big name that will take some time.

William Rogers Mfg. Co.
     Hartford Connecticut
     1865 - 1898
     William Rogers
     William Rogers Jr.
     Thomas Birch
     1898 merged into International Silver Company
     Marks continued use in International Silver Company
     Became a division of International Silver Company

Marks:
     Anchor Rogers
     (Anchor) Rogers (Anchor)
     1846 (Anchor) Rogers (Anchor) AA
     1865 Wm Rogers Mfg. Co.
     Wm Rogers & Son
     R.C. Co.
     Rogers Nickel Silver
     (Anchor) W. R. & S.
     Rogers Cutlery Co.
     Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co. Hartford Conn.
     Rogers Brand Silver Plated Ware
     Cunningham Silver Plate (for Ocean Spray cranberry sauce premium)
     (anchor) Rogers (anchor) XII

Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co. Ltd.
     Niagara Falls, Ontario
     ? - 1905
     Bought by Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co. in 1905 a division of International Silver Company 

Wm. G. Rogers
     1901 - 1915
     Flatware
    
William H. Rogers


Place:
     Hartford, Connecticut
Year:
     1888 - 1915
Mark:
     (Sword) Rogers A1

William H. Rogers Corporation
Place:
     Plainfield New Jersey
Years:
     1901 - 1904
    
Rogers, Wendt & Wilkinson

Place:  
     New York New York
Year:
     January 1860 -  August 1860 
Founder:
     John R. Wendt