🥇 BANNER Andrew Ellicott Warner escutcheon plate

Peaches

Greenie
May 31, 2014
17
99
Maryland
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Found today at old house site. I have not been able to find markings online. Seems to be silver with AEW, then maybe a mark with a cross in the top left and bottom right corners, what appears to be a G or CR, and the a silhouette.
 

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masterjedi

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Normally yes, but even the same silversmith would stamp them all different directions. Seen it many times, but I have no reason why. Seen many up-side-down.

To the OP there is no need to test it (Normally a destructive method) or clean it. There is no speculation when IDing silver that came from the ground, trust me I can tell it a million miles away. Silver-smiths did not hallmark silver plate in this manner. It SCREAMS silver to me, I dig a lot of it.:thumbsup:

To the OP..... Cru is wrong IMHO (sorry Cru).... I also can tell from just a picture after buying and selling 10's of thousands of pieces of silver in every form imaginable over my career... Please just have it tested.... it is a simple test and non destructive at all. Not sure why Cru said that? Not sure why Cru does not want it tested?... (well maybe I do).... :) sorry Cru... Really...
Its a super find... lets please just go off of factual data and facts only and not guessing and speculation and gut feelings from people that have dug silver item from the ground.. I have been digging up silver since 1977 also...

Cru... look at my previous post on all of the pictures of hallmarked items that are not silver... Please let us all know what you think?

Thanks Gary from Oregon...
 

FoundInNC

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To the OP..... Cru is wrong IMHO (sorry Cru).... I also can tell from just a picture after buying and selling 10's of thousands of pieces of silver in every form imaginable over my career... Please just have it tested.... it is a simple test and non destructive at all. Not sure why Cru said that? Not sure why Cru does not want it tested?... (well maybe I do).... :) sorry Cru... Really...
Its a super find... lets please just go off of factual data and facts only and not guessing and speculation and gut feelings from people that have dug silver item from the ground.. I have been digging up silver since 1977 also...

Cru... look at my previous post on all of the pictures of hallmarked items that are not silver... Please let us all know what you think?

Thanks Gary from Oregon...

LOL at this guy. Anyone who has dug old silver would recognize this as authentic. Do not test it Peaches. Test your scrap silver. This is priceless as a relic..... $12.00 as scrap.
 

ARC

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Banner find. well done.

Good I.D. Crus.
 

NHBandit

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To the OP..... Cru is wrong IMHO (sorry Cru).... I also can tell from just a picture after buying and selling 10's of thousands of pieces of silver in every form imaginable over my career... Please just have it tested.... it is a simple test and non destructive at all. Not sure why Cru said that? Not sure why Cru does not want it tested?... (well maybe I do).... :) sorry Cru... Really...
Its a super find... lets please just go off of factual data and facts only and not guessing and speculation and gut feelings from people that have dug silver item from the ground.. I have been digging up silver since 1977 also...

Cru... look at my previous post on all of the pictures of hallmarked items that are not silver... Please let us all know what you think?

Thanks Gary from Oregon...
LOL.. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence there's always that one guy..... I hear there has been a rash of people lately counterfeiting 17th century lock escutcheons with fake hallmarks and family crests and they burrying them.... What a hoot...
 

CRUSADER

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LOL.. Even in the face of overwhelming evidence there's always that one guy..... I hear there has been a rash of people lately counterfeiting 17th century lock escutcheons with fake hallmarks and family crests and they burrying them.... What a hoot...
I know funny,,,right!
Seriously though if the OP wants to test just to prove me right, that's find.
If its proved not to be solid silver I will give up detecting for ever. My word is my bond.
To the master, want to join in?
 

masterjedi

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Come on Cru.. man up for God's sake... :) lets just have it tested to be sure. I dont want you to have to give up digging due to a mistake. You and your dad love to dig. You get to dig on ground where mankind started and we all envy that. You just took this wrong, and I am sorry for that. We just differ in opinions on this piece. This is an early awesome find.... You think its silver, I think its plated...
Its just a difference in opinion... that is all... Take a deep breath....
:)
 

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ScubaDetector

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Come on Cru.. man up for God's sake... :) lets just have it tested to be sure. I dont want you to have to give up digging due to a mistake. You and your dad love to dig. You get to dig on ground where mankind started and we all envy that. You just took this wrong, and I am sorry for that. We just differ in opinions on this piece. This is an early awesome find.... You think its silver, I think its plated...
Its just a difference in opinion... that is all... Take a deep breath....
:)

I see you have had plenty of experience with silver from your responses. HOWEVER, in all my silver finds and others, I have yet to see ANY silver plated artifact with hallmarks on it. I sure wouldn't get it tested. I wouldn't touch it. It could very well be a significant piece of history and it also could just be off something that belonged to a very well to do family.
 

OutdoorAdv

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I cant stop coming by this post! I googled a bit more about Andrew Ellicott Warner and found his grave on findagrave. Some really awesome information on that page about him and his brother Thomas.

Andrew Ellicott Warner (1786 - 1870) - Find A Grave Memorial

Thomas and Andrew "served as captains of companies in the 39th Regiment of the Maryland Militia and served in the defense of Baltimore in 1814 at North Point and Fort McHenry." That's really awesome to read that he served in defense of Fort McHenry, which was the battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. I've been to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC and seen the actual flag that was flying over Fort McHenry during that engagement... its HUGE! Andrew saw that flag flying.

It goes on to say that Andrew "...was commissioned for elegant presentation pieces, such as swords, goblets, medals, tea sets...". The image of a similar escutcheon that I posted on page 1 of this thread was of a "tea caddy" box. It makes me think this silver escutcheon plate could possibly be from one of those tea sets he was commissioned to make for a prominent citizen.

Few finds keep me coming back over and over and over again, but this is one that has really caught my eye. Congratulations for about the 4th time Peaches! :laughing7: Not only an incredible relic from an early American Silversmith, but Andrew Warner was also present at some incredible events in United States History.
 

CRUSADER

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I cant stop coming by this post! I googled a bit more about Andrew Ellicott Warner and found his grave on findagrave. Some really awesome information on that page about him and his brother Thomas.

Andrew Ellicott Warner (1786 - 1870) - Find A Grave Memorial

Thomas and Andrew "served as captains of companies in the 39th Regiment of the Maryland Militia and served in the defense of Baltimore in 1814 at North Point and Fort McHenry." That's really awesome to read that he served in defense of Fort McHenry, which was the battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. I've been to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC and seen the actual flag that was flying over Fort McHenry during that engagement... its HUGE! Andrew saw that flag flying.

It goes on to say that Andrew "...was commissioned for elegant presentation pieces, such as swords, goblets, medals, tea sets...". The image of a similar escutcheon that I posted on page 1 of this thread was of a "tea caddy" box. It makes me think this silver escutcheon plate could possibly be from one of those tea sets he was commissioned to make for a prominent citizen.

Few finds keep me coming back over and over and over again, but this is one that has really caught my eye. Congratulations for about the 4th time Peaches! :laughing7: Not only an incredible relic from an early American Silversmith, but Andrew Warner was also present at some incredible events in United States History.

I agree Tea Caddy Box plate is most likely.
I really think the right Museum or collector needs to be found next.
 

OP
OP
P

Peaches

Greenie
May 31, 2014
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99
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Thank you so much! I am enjoying the journey this piece has taken me on. I have learned so much. I love history and in MD we are surrounded by so much. I did take the piece to an archeologist at the local university and he confirmed it is solid silver. He said that he was more familiar with Andrew's grandfather as he was a surveyor of land. He said that this piece was one of his earlier pieces and that it was done about 1816. He confirmed the MD flag and he said that the last stamp was lady liberty. The same that is on the state house in Annapolis. The letter H still has me thinking as I have been unable to link with certainty my property to any families other than the poor black community that was established here post civil war. Obviously I have much more to discover and this is just one more clue.
 

OutdoorAdv

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Thank you so much! I am enjoying the journey this piece has taken me on. I have learned so much. I love history and in MD we are surrounded by so much. I did take the piece to an archeologist at the local university and he confirmed it is solid silver. He said that he was more familiar with Andrew's grandfather as he was a surveyor of land. He said that this piece was one of his earlier pieces and that it was done about 1816. He confirmed the MD flag and he said that the last stamp was lady liberty. The same that is on the state house in Annapolis. The letter H still has me thinking as I have been unable to link with certainty my property to any families other than the poor black community that was established here post civil war. Obviously I have much more to discover and this is just one more clue.

Keep us posted Peaches. I'm even more excited that you were the one that found it because it sure sounds like you're doing some leg work to figure more out... just awesome man. That find a grave link has some really cool information, including an excerpt of a letter written in the 1940's from Andrews grandson that remembered watching his "grandpap" working in the shop and gave a brief description of it. It doesn't get much better than making history come alive.

On another note, now that you have a proper ID on this thing, you can always PM "Jeff of PA" if you want him to change your post title to something different. Obviously your choice, but a different post title might make more people click see this great piece of history.
 

BuckleBoy

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This is indeed a banner find, and it is certainly not plated as one of the replies suggested. Whoever that is may have dug silver, but has not dug enough 200+ YEAR OLD SILVER to know what silver looks like when it's been in the ground that long.

What a stellar find.

-Buck
 

MichiganMan

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An absolutely superb find. And early American silver to boot. The only way that could be better is if it was marked REVERE. It's a museum piece for sure. Don't do anything to it. On something of that [possible historic value and] nature I would only let a professional conservator "work" on it. A hearty slap on the back to you Peaches. Great work.
 

MichiganMan

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MichiganMan

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CRUSADER... I disagree... I had my own store and bought and sold Silver and Gold in all forms for more than 20 years. The best way is just to have it tested...

Hope your right though! Its a really cool find!
How does a bank teller tell a real $100 bill from a fake one? They look at real $100 bills. Cru has seen enough solid silver [relics] with this type of patina to KNOW it's a real, solid silver piece. Sometimes you so know what you are looking at that you don't even have to think about it. You just know that it is spot on. Also, the number of silver plated pieces in the very early 1800's versus the late 1800's and early 1900s has to be so drastically different that it would lead a knowledgeable person to get rid of that theory [of this piece being silver plated].
 

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