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Interesting discussion and I am learning here.

Since silver deposit is .999 silver, are the pieces marked Sterling incorrectly marked?

Your ads have me convinced. Any supposed distinction between silver deposit and silver overlay came about from secondary market dealers? I know I picked it up along the way from other antique dealers older than myself.

 

Not really incorrect, most silver standards require sterling be a minimum of .925 silver, including the US, which didn't have precious metals legislation until 1906 - no requirement that gold and silver be marked, only that if marked they must meet the minimum fineness (.925 for sterling, .900 for coin).

Don't believe there's much question of that, my Mom got her first piece over 50 years ago (she loved glass and silver), and that's what she was told and until I started researching silver in depth 40+ years ago, that's what I called it as well (whenever I sold it I used both terms, gotta have the right keywords). If I describe it to someone, usually say something like 'silver deposit', now commonly called 'silver overlay'.


A lot of things have been misidentified for ages, but the online availability of research material and the sharing of information worldwide has shown some 'facts' in the trade as false. Just as quick examples, some Bohemian glass has long been identified as 'Bristol glass', 'page turners' are actually paper cutters (though I know a book collector who uses one as a page-turner), and then there was a person who wrote a blog and then a book, which included saying that the Dutch don't know that their eccentric 3-tined cake prikkers with a long center tine are actually mango forks, though that is a different but similar form (the outer tines shaped differently), and those usually cast cake prikkers are not really useful for mango, not pointy or sturdy enough, the handles often decorative, uncomfortable in the hand if speared into a fairly heavy fruit.
My personal issue is the widespread misconception that Dutch cream spoons (roomlepel) are 'monkey spoons', with that misconception launched when an 1890 magazine article illustrated roomlepels for a spoon mentioned in one account of a 1749 New York Dutch funeral where the pallbearers were given 'monkey spoons', through the 19th century and into the 20th, various suppositions were offered, but that 1890 article, which also had some nonsense as well, was published elsewhere, referenced in other articles and books as fact, and then the internet just made it worse. If anyone is interested, I can post a thread on the 'monkey spoon' story...


~Cheryl

 

I saw all those ads for silver deposit in your link. I, like verybrad, am convinced. Had heard of Alvin, Gorham and Whiting, but not the others -- there were quite a few!

 

Don't get me started. Bristol, Nailsea, Mary flipping Gregory and more. Arg.

 

Trev and I share a passion for poring through old publications - I have quite a few other silver deposit makers in my files as well as retailer ads (including many well into mid 20th century), catalog pages, technical information, etc. His research is stored on the 925-1000 forums (where I seldom participate anymore), mine is much less organized - while there is so much misinformation spread via the internet, there is also constantly increasing access to actual facts...

~Cheryl

 

Hehe, I share your aggravation, Bear!

~Cheryl

 

I, for one would be interested! This is the first time I've ever heard the word roomlepel aka Dutch cream spoon aka monkey spoon.

I love and I'm obsessed with finding old trade journals, catalogs and other advertisements... newspapers, magazines, etc. It's the be all and end all for accurate information and identification. I've bookmarked this thread and also the thread on the silver forum. Great info!