Registration of marks for plated goods virtually ceased after 1836 because the new British plate could not correctly be termed Sheffield plate as silver was not fused onto copper. Yet again manufacturers resorted to marking their wares with unregistered symbols which looked very much like hallmarks. After 1765, and more so following the turn of the nineteenth century, a crown was sometimes used in addition to other marks. This was originally intended to show that the piece was of good quality, and its use grew at the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars in 1815 to differentiate between English plate and cheap wares imported from France. Manufacturers used it increasingly throughout the nineteenth century until the public were in such a state of confusion, since it was also the mark for the Sheffield Assay Office, that its use was eventually prohibited in 1896.

Apart from bogus marks, collectors should also watch out for another ploy which manufacturers used. It is illegal to describe wares as being made of Sheffield plate if they have not been produced by the correct method, ie fusing silver to copper. Later manufacturers often described pieces electro-plated on copper as Sheffield plated, adding the ‘d’ to keep within the confines of the law. To add to the confusion, certain registered marks of Sheffield plate manufacturers have also been used on electro-plating, including symbols used consistently by bona fide manufacturers of Sheffield plate. Among others these included the bell, the hand, the crossed arrows, the pineapple and the crossed keys.

Antique Collector MagazineSadly there appears to be no record of a mark used by the originator of Sheffield plate, Thomas Boulsover, but there is certainly one for Joseph Hancock circa 1755. His initials are punched in a similar way to those used by London silversmiths of the period. Other marks for the 1750s, 1760s and 1770s include the initials of the following manufacturers: Nathaniel Smith; Thomas Law; Tudor and Leader; John Hoyland and Company; Boulton and Fothergill; Jacob and Samuel Roberts; John Winter and Company; J. Rowbotham and Company; Ashforth, Ellis and Company; and J. Littlewood. Where the initial J is used it generally looks like a capital I.

Marks apart, there are other ways of differentiating between Sheffield plate and a bogus imitation. The most important characteristic is the colour of Sheffield plate. In a good, natural light it has a soft bluish tinge, quite dissimilar to the later types of plate when silver was fused onto German silver, or the harder colour of electro-plate. Next, look out for seams. These should be detectable on the type of wares which would have been made by joining at a seam. If they are not apparent you can generally assume that the piece was electro-plated, either as an original electro-plated piece, or as a re-plated object. This practice was common during the final decades of the nineteenth century, when many fine old pieces of Sheffield plate which were becoming worn were sent off for an electro-plated lace-lift’. Where this has occurred, of course, collectors should pass over the object. Hinges can be important on old Sheffield plate. They usually warrant a close inspection since, after the considerable use these have received over the years, some wear and tear is reasonable. Hinges on reproductions will gleam like the rest of the object, showing no wear.

A knowledge of the type of decoration used at various periods can greatly assist the collector. Ornament usually followed the cyclic fashions set by London silversmiths who continued to use hand-craftsmen for many years after factory methods became more general. Later, ornamental patterns were produced by the factories themselves in Sheffield and Birmingham. Engraving and bright-cutting, two very popular forms of late eighteenth century decoration, presented immediate problems when carried out on Sheffield plate because the cut-away metal revealed the glow of the copper. Yet because bright-cutting had become so fashionable on neo-classical domestic wares, it was essential that Sheffield plate manufacturers found some way of resolving the problem. At first they bright-cut bands of silver which were soldered onto the Sheffield plate, but by using a deeper layer of silver on the copper it was also possible to bright-cut directly onto the Sheffield plate.

Piercing, which had been popular on silver wares since the early eighteenth century, was impossible to execute in the same way craftsmen produced pierced sterling silver wares. Early examples of sterling silver were cut with a fret-saw, and once again this technique would have revealed the copper on Sheffield plate. For this reason early Sheffield plate is not pierced. The earliest examples of pierced Sheffield plate date from around the final years of the 1760s when hand-operated fly-presses were equipped with steel tools which, with their hard and specially-shaped ends, were used to pierce the perforations. The tool was designed in such a way as to pull the layered silver from the plate, causing it to project past the copper. In this way the silver could be turned down to hide the red of the copper. Each shaped perforation was pressed by hand individually to begin with but by the last decade or so of the eighteenth century, the holes were pressed in numbers which speeded up the work considerably. Within the next 20 years from about 1820 steam-operated presses became general.

Embossing presented few problems since no metal is cut away with this technique. Embossing in high-relief necessitated the use of plate which had been fused with a deeper layer of silver, in case the silver flaked during working and the copper was revealed. As with silver, embossing was particularly popular until approximately the last quarter of the eighteenth century, reappearing again in the nineteenth century according to the dictates of fashion. A great many domestic vessels were decorated by embossing, including tea and coffee services. In 1822 further mechanisation, in the form of a press which simulated hand-chasing, was used for ornament on trays and similar flat objects. In a single operation this could impress flowers, scrolls or other shapes on the plate. Flat chasing was much apparent on Sheffield plate from the final two decades of the eighteenth century, often in conjunction with piercing. It adorned most domestic wares including mustard pots, coasters, salt cellars, muffineers, tea caddies, sugar bowls, teapots and coffee pots. Fluting and reeding were common, although on earlier examples the indentations are less pronounced. These two forms of decoration are also found on certain Sheffield plate made during the first few years or so of the nineteenth century.

Gilding was essential for the interiors of certain vessels which did not contain glass linings, for it prevented corrosion or staining. Thus this can be found in salt cellars, cream jugs, mustard pots, etc, although quite large vessels such as punch bowls might also have their interiors gilded. Certain hollow-wares, including tea urns, hot-water jugs, teapots, coffee pots and others, had their interiors tinned, a method which was used as late as the 1820s for, among others, flat items such as trays. Tinning conjures up a vision of cheapness, yet, in fact, it had a pleasant appearance. It was highly polished before it left the factory and at a quick glance was not dissimilar to silver. Although the layer of tin was generally quite thick, most pieces in constant use needed to be re-tinned occasionally.

More about: Silver, Gold, Beautiful Collection of Ancient Sheffield plate part 2