I've had this sifter for some time now, but have had no luck id'ing the maker. Can anyone offer any assistance? I've checked all of my books and the marks section here, as well as many other online reference sites. Thanks.
Gottfried Koch (1804-1879; Master 1829) of Bremen, Germany. He, with Ludwig Bergfeld, founded the firm of Koch & Bergfeld in 1859; it still exists today.
Well, yes and no. The company traces its foundation to 1829 when Koch began working. But Bergfeld did not become a partner - nor the name "Koch & Bergfeld" - until 1859. I made the distinction because the mark here indicates this item was made before 1859, under Koch's name alone.
"Bergfeld" was actually two men, probably brothers: Ludwig Wilhelm Bergfeld (Master 1856) & Georg Gottfried Daniel Bergfeld (Master 1859); both were partners in the firm, and both were former apprentices of Koch.
I did make a mistake, though. Although Koch began working in 1829, he did not become a master in the Bremen guild until July 1830.
Hello, actually Koch and Bergfeld became partners in 1834, since then it was called K & B (Löhr is not precise on this point). Since 1865 owners were the sons of the founding fathers: Ludwig Koch, Georg Koch, Gottfried Bergfeld and Georg Bergfeld. The four owners were all related, as the two founding fathers had married two sisters. Best wishes, Bahner