Holmes & Edwards Silver Company Advertisement for the Waldorf Pattern

This is a advertisement for the Holmes & Edwards Silver Co. Waldorf pattern. It appears in The Century in 1894. It is an Easter advertisement urging surprise on the morning of  or surprising that "particular friend".  One of course wonders what that is a euphemism for. 

Daniel Low Salem Massachusetts.

This is an advertisement for Daniel Low silversmith in Salem Massachusetts. It appeared in The Century magazine in 1894 and features the Salem pattern.  I like the description of "florid European patterns"

Star Rogers & Bros. New Century Pattern

This is another piece that I acquired this weekend. It is New Century
by star Rogers & Brothers. This pattern is from 1898. The flatware
from the turn of the century is awesome in its weight, plate and
craftsmanship. After World War One you can see and feel a real
difference in the way the objects are made. This does not make them
lesser objects, it simply makes them different. Styles of taste had
changed and I suspect cost of materials rose. This piece has classic
swirls and design. Though it does have more blank space than other
earlier patterns. I guess it is a harbinger of the new century that
was arriving.
The nice card is how I store flatware after it is identified. The
piece is placed in an airtight bag with a card with the pattern name,
year, maker, and sometimes who bought out that maker. The bag helps
prevent tarnish. The card helps to keep the flatware organized and
prevents having to look things up again and again. This card was made
by my partner. She has much better handwriting than mine.

Reed & Barton Cashmere 1889

Sometimes I get a piece of silver and put it to use. This happens most
often to serving-ware. Yesterday I was making a pizza for dinner and
grabbed a ladle to scoop and spread some tomato sauce. The ladle was
marked Reed & Barton but I did not recognize the pattern. Turns out it
is Cashmere from 1889. What a great way to spread pizza sauce.

Victorian Silverplate Flatware: Roman Pattern

This weekend I stopped by a garage sale while looking for another
sale. I picked up a large bag of flatware at .50 cents a piece. I
got to hand pick the pieces out of a suitcase full of patterns and
walked away with a bag of Victorian silverware.

Below are two pieces in the Roman pattern. The fork is from this
weekend the butter knife from an earlier haul. This pattern is from 1865.
Pieces can be marked Rogers & Brothers, Anchor Rogers, Derby Silver Plate, 1847 Rogers
and Rogers Smith & Co.

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.

Finding a flatware pattern.

When searching for flatware patterns, before I built up my library, I used a hodge-podge of silver websites to find information. None of them are "complete" and they vary greatly in usability and organization.

One such site is Silver Tableware. Like many sites it is a commercial venture, but it is also nice enough to make its information open to everyone. I think this helps to drive commerce in the silver trade. Basically, people find grandma's silver at a garage sale or in the attic and think that it is worth a fortune. Then they seek out pattern -usually through the makers mark- to try and find out what it is and what it is worth. In some cases I suspect that there are folks looking to expand their set but I think that the vast majority are people that will search for about ten minuted on the web to find what a piece is. Be that as it may, there are folks like myself that through this process have become slightly obsessed with pattern identification. This in turn helps to create a market for silver.


What I need to do is interview some silver dealers and hear their theories on this. Here are some questions that may have interesting answers.

1. What is the most common questions you receive about silver?
2. How do you think people "think" about silver today?
3. What drives the silver market?
4. What "theories" do people have about silver?
5. What is your most common type of customer?
6. What makes your "best" customer?
7. How do you think most people value (guess the worth of) the silver they posses?
8. What do you sell the most of?
9. What is the most common type of silver that people bring in?
10. What is the weirdest question you have received?

Sears Roebuck & Co. 1897 Catalouge Featuring the Yale Pattern from Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co. and other patterns from the C. Rogers & Bro.

The frame below is from the Sears Roebuck Catalouge from 1897. If you scroll up there are some lovely sterling pieces and some children's sets. Interestingly, they call them kindergarten sets.  The page displayed has flatware made by the Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co. and C. Rogers and Brothers. Being from 1897 this page shows classic high Victorian patterns and their marketing.

There is a sugar shell, orange spoons, berry spoon and knife in the Regent pattern made by C. Rogers & Bros.

There is also a Yale pattern berry spoon "in a plush lined box, a real work of art" shown on this page from Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co.

 The next page (448) shows available flatware from C. Rogers & Brothers. Patterns featured are Savarin, Naples, Imperial, Regent, B. Engraved, Royal, Westminster, Lenox, Winthrop, Belmont, Shell, Mayflower, and Regent. It also shows a pie knife in the Yale pattern from Wm. Rogers & Bros. Mfg. Co..

If the frame does not work you can visit it from this link here.

Antique Egyptian Pattern, E.H.H. Smith Silver Co., Everts

Not a whole lot of luck this weekend. I found a few pieces of flatware. The only piece I am really excited about is another Egyptian revival demitasse spoon.  The first Egyptian revival in the decorative arts lasted from about 1820-1850. A good forty years but silver pieces from this period are scarce enough, so finding pieces in the Egyptian revival style is a herculean (or should we say Osirisian) task. 

There was a second form of Egyptian revival in the decorative arts in the 1920’s after the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen.  From time to time since then there has been an incorporation of Egyptian motifs in silver and silver plate.This is one such case.

These are my two demitasse spoons in the Egyptian revival style.  They are the Antique Egyptian or Scarab pattern patented in 1909. One is marked Everts and the other has no mark (which as we shall see is not too unusual)  They have scarab beetles on the end of the handle.  These were produced after the height of the first Egyptian revival.  So what do we know about this pattern?

Hagan (1990) list them as Wm. A. Rogers and another company listed simply as Smith in the year 1909 and notes that they are not a full line. Meaning that only select pieces were made in this pattern.  In this book they are called Antique Egyptian.

Bones and Fisher (1998) list them under E. H. H. Smith Silver Company in Bridgeport Connecticut. They claim that it was designed for the Café de L’Opera in New York.  Further they claim that they were often given out as a premium by jewelry stores.  An interesting note is that this line is also known as Scarab. While noted as not being a full line confirming Hagan (1990). Bones and Fisher note that there exist grape shears, nut cracks, butter picks, muddlers as well as dinner spoons, forks and knives. The line appears in their book as having the scarab and without. The end of the piece having a sun disc and papyrus scroll in some cases.

Davis and Deibel (1972) list Antique Egyptian under the E.H.H. Smith Silver Co. showing their marks as a (triangle) S (triangle) and xx S xx where the s is in a box. They have a reprint of an advertisement that confirms that the pattern was designed for the Café de L’Opera in New York.  It also shows knives, butter knives, nut picks etc.  However, all of the pieces shown have the scarab on the piece. Davis and Deibel list the pattern date as 1909 and mention that it can also be found backstamped as Wm. A. Rogers and Everts. Everts used the demitasse spoons as an advertising premium.

Similar pieces:

Rogers & Bros. had a pattern named Egyptian in 1879. Other hollowware makers incorporated various Egyptian themes into their work like sphinxes as finials and the like.  I have also seen papyrus scrolls as a form of decoration. 

A collector I know and admire greatly has a pair of sphinx candlesticks that I am quite jealous of.  Next time I visit his collection I will ask for a picture.

Will Carleton's magazine Every where 1907 - Wm. A. Rogers Ltd.

A magazine I believe to be published towards the late adolescent girl.  This advertisement if from Wm. A. Rogers Ltd. and features the Bancroft, Alberta, and Lenora patterns. The premium is the price of sets so that your "club" can own matching silver. Also contains a nice pie fork and napkin ring.

McClure's Magazine December 1915- Reed & Barton Advertisment

This advertisement features the Heppelwhite Pattern from Reed & Barton. Small trade mark for the time period is also shown.

McClure's Magazine December 1915

Featured Patterns are Old Colony, Continental, and Cromwell.  1847 Rogers Brothers Christmas advertisement.

McClure's Magazine November 1915

McClure's magazine 1915 advertisement for 1847 Rogers Brothers of International Silver Company. Patterns shown are Cromwell, Continental and Old Colony.

Rogers & Brother price list book 1882.

My girlfriend found this research treasure for me. I know off the top of my head that I own several Olive spoons, a handful of threaded and tipped, and one piece of crown. It is fascinating to see the trade catalouge with them displayed.