William Waldo Dodge, Jr. started producing silverware marked "Asheville Silvercraft" at his shop at 412, Charlotte Street, Asheville, North Carolina, in 1924. By 1927 he had removed to 365, Vanderbilt Road in Biltmore Forest.
By the late 1920's, Dodge had trained up three employees, Ray Yeomans, Dick Shuford, and Johnny Green. The work of the three skilled craftsman can be identified by the marks applied in the Dodge workshop.
The marks used were "DODGE" "STERLING" "BY HAND," an eagle within a circle, and a shield. In addition, most pieces were marked with a series of numbers and a letter or symbol scratched or stamped into them next to these marks. The first number represents the month in which the piece was made. The letter or symbol separating the numbers identifies specifically which one of Dodge's assistants produced each piece. (Sometimes one assistant helped another, but only one identifying letter was assigned to each piece.) The second number indicates the sequential order in which each piece was produced within a given month. Under this system of marking, a teapot marked "11 ♥ 15," for example, can be readily identified as the fifteenth item made by Dodge's assistant Johnny Green during the month of November, 1930.
Pieces marked with a pine tree were made by Dodge himself. This mark was not changed on a yearly basis as the others were.
The onset of World War II and the subsequent enlistment of his assistants prompted Dodge to close his silver shop.
The above information was culled from an excellent article 'William Waldo Dodge, Jr., Silversmith' by Stephen C. Worsley, that appeared in: Carolina Comments - January 1989
Trev.
