Featured Sterling Water Pitcher (pics, no known maker)

I am stumped. This was inherited by me from my grandmother (her engraved initials). Pics:





I cannot identify the maker's marks. It seems to be T&T?



It means a lot to me with my grandmother's engraving. She taught adult Sunday School for 40 years until she got Parkinson's disease.

Thanks

 

Taber & Tibbits. Does it say sterling? Pretty sure it's plate.

 

Thanks Kronos,
I shouldn't have titled it Sterling. I now remember why I stored it separately. It weighs 680 grams.

I have a few more that were stored with this one. I can't figure out the marks on the bottom with a X 10 magnification:

This says Sterling and something about *Ementweights* then 4424. They weigh 72 grams each which seems light for sterling and more like plated (little bowls)?:


Next is this cream and sugar pair from Alvin Manufacturing (which was bought by Gorham). Sugar weighs 68 grams while Cream gets another gram.



Thanks for your help.

 

Are the bottoms of the two sterling pieces flat? Could be Cement Weighted/Filled.

 

The NS means no silver

 

"Ementweights" should be missing a C in front, as Kronos has pointed out, although it's more likely to be "ed" at the end and not "s." The filling of void spaces (particularly stems or pedestals like these) gives the pieces strength, but also adds considerably to the weight beyond the actual silver.

 

True enough, Terry, but with the E and P on either end of the line above, the actual meaning is "nickel silver" in this case.

 

Many thanks for your reply's.

It's been a day when my wife and I took a good look at the silver (mostly plated, and sometimes fake) in a chest and in some boxes. Our cost was near zero.

We ended with two large boxes full of ~ antiques (mostly plated silver) going to a thrift shop to support an animal shelter. We hope it will save a few animals.

We have some other stuff that we want to keep. We will drop a card inside the silver piece so the next generation will know what it is.

It's all we can do. Our new generations just don't serve tea in a beautiful 935 sterling silver piece. They go to Starbucks and pay $10 for the tea in a paper container.

 

As @Bakersgma indicated, does that image say 'NiS' for Nickel Silver, although granted, not clearly struck??

 

To spell it out, EPNS = Electro-plated nickel silver.

 

It could very well be EPNS.

It would have to be one of the first examples as she passed away over 50 years ago. Why would anyone do a EPNS 50 years ago so as to make it look like a current Sterling piece which is just $10-$15 per oz.?

I've seen some fake Morgan dollars that are EPNS, but they were made recently on a small scale. Morgans are 90% silver ($15) but a few Morgan dollars in higher values have only happened in the last few years. Those are usually marked as Carson City coins.

I see no reason to fake sterling silver in any grade (except below).

My Mom started using her sterling silver 15 years ago as normal everyday utensils. We started 5+ years ago.

We serve lunch with sterling, and we send it to the dishwasher. Sterling silver shrimp plate is no problem and nice.

I will not use my 935 Tiffany as a regular piece. The Tiffany brand is different.

 

Hi,
If you use the dishwasher BE SURE to keep sterling from touching any stainless steel pieces. It will mark the silver and will not polish out. I run my silver in the dishwasher but keep them separated.
greg

 

it even reads EPNS. the E is left of the stylized drum, the P on the right and the NS underneath.

 

Taber and Tibbits was in business in Wallingford, Connecticut from 1919 to 1941 (so your grandmother's pitcher is absolutely more than 50 years old.) They made only silverplated wares, no sterling items. In no event were they "faking" sterling.

EPNS, as explained early, stands for electroplated nickel silver. No intent to deceive a buyer into thinking an item was made of solid silver. But a well made and well cared for plated piece can certainly look like one made of sterling. As long as the guests didn't turn such a beautiful pitcher upside down, they'd never have been the wiser. Any hostess would have been glad to have it on the table.

I don't understand your point about why anyone would make EPNS back then, given the current (?) price of silver.

 

I sincerely apologize for my misleading post. I didn't proof read it properly.

My point was centered on the falling price of silver which was in another email as I was the buyer (it was for circulated silver coins--it means worn coins):

• $16.020 USD
• -0.230 -1.42%
• Volume 91,312
• Open Interest 39,272
• 1 Day Range $15.945 - $16.295
• 52 Week Range: $15.800 - $18.395 (07/07/17 - 09/08/17)

We have both agreed that we collect silver antiques (sterling, plate, or nickel silver) for the beauty and enjoyment of it and not for any investment value.

It was my poor posting. My mistake.

 

I think he knows that but was being cheeky !!!
Right Terry.......cheeky boy !!!