Copper Spoon hallmark help

[impulse]

I recently found this old spoon on the edge of a greenery on my sister's property in Berkhamsted, England. It's quite mangled and corroded, but the hallmarks are clear. After several days of research, I think I have found what the first two marks "A" and "1" are (to do with quality of plating), but the rest are a mystery. One looks like a crab...another looks like ball and the last is a shield with A S under what looks like a small crown.

Attached are photos. Any assistance would be appreciated.

BACK


FRONT


MARKS

[AG2012]

Hi,
Welcome to the forum. Let`s start from the left:
``A1`` is the quality mark (the thickest silver layer in electro-plating). Then two pictorial symbols that can be positively assigned to Thomas Henry Daniel and Thomas Richard Arter partnership at the Globe Nevada Works, Highgate Street, Birmingham.
They used various combinations of marks.
Take a look here:
http://www.925-1000.com/silverplate_D.html
http://www.silvercollection.it/electroplatesilverD.html
There are two pictorial marks ``globe`` and the mark resembling a crab. Very distinctive.
Regards

[impulse]

Thanks AG2012...In looking over my notes, I found that for the "crab", maybe J. Prime from Birmingham (1839), listed as a close plater might have been a clue...and had Ibbotson Bros. & Co. of Globe Steel Works, Sheffield (1892-1919) as a possibility for the "globe" or ball as I stated in the original post, and also Daniel & Arter. The "shield" with A S under the small crown was throwing me. Could you shed some light on that symbol ? Also possibly help in "dating" the spoon ? I just returned from England the 15th of April after putting my Father to rest and just before leaving for Heathrow on the return flight, I did a final stroll through my Sister's garden and stumbled upon this spoon lying out in the open !
Cheers

[impulse]

AG2012...Just returned from AZ...another death in the family...was wondering if you could shed some more light on this old copper spoon...especially the "shield" with A S under a small crown. Thought that maybe the A S might mean Aluminium Silver ? Can't find anything with the small "crown" to verify what that particular mark might represent. Any help would be appreciated ! Thanks! MWS

[AG2012]

Hi,
New aluminum silver alloys (invented in France) were composed of silver, nickel, and copper.
In color they resemble platinum. Your spoon is obviously copper red.
I think pictorial marks can be assigned to the Globe Nevada Works but I have no reference about ``AS``.
Regards

[Essexboy Fisher]

Hello, I have thoughts I would like to add to what Impulse and AG2012 have said.
Although Impulse’s pictures have gone now, my thinking about the “crab” mark on Impulse’s and other similarly marked spoons, is that a “crab shape” was the obvious shape to mimic the “lion passant“ mark that is on English hallmarked silver. A crab like mark is commonly present on diverse makers’, early electroplated, spoons as a “pseudo hallmark” possibly for financial gain. I do not think the presence of a “crab” mark in isolation is a reliable feature to identify any particular company. Regarding the crown marks, you need to remember a “crown” was the official mark of the Sheffield Silver Guild and its presence on electroplated items could also be used to advantage. We know there was legislation in 1896 to stop the crown mark being put on silverplated items. Lots of Elkington’s early stuff (before 1900) had a crown in a shield mark, although that company did have Royal warrants so perhaps they were allowed?
Moving on to the “AS” mark possible “Aluminium Silver”, Impulse could be correct. F. Whitehouse has “AS” as “Afghan Silver”, William Naylor has “Australian Silver”, Joseph Gilbert had Argentina Silver and currently on the web site "silvercollection.it", a generally excellent reference site, “Aluminuim Silver” is said to be a trademark of “Daniel&Arter”. I have not seen that “Aluminuim Silver” mark before. However until very recently, I had also not seen the mark shown in the below image.





Here we have a “D&A” mark with ”Diamond” spelt on a spoons stem. Is “Diamond” another “Daniel&Arter” trademark, but as yet unrecorded? These spoons were more decorative than the usual utilitarian cutlery we see from the D&A. The “C” in a diamond (unsurprisingly?) does not seem to have an obvious meaning. I do not think is for the standard of electroplating, could possibly be for “company” but could just be a pattern indicator.
Fishless