✅ SOLVED Small English Looking Silver Tray?

[tamrock]

I picked this up yesterday at a thrift store. The engraved Lion was what first caught my attention and gave me the idea it was old English silver then I flipped it in hopes of seeing a hallmarks. There's something there, but it looks a bit funky to be old English hallmarks. Studying the Lion it seems the style is not that of an English hand, but more so that of a possible Chinese hand or so it seems to me. The hallmarks look as if they are a cast impression and not of a stamp and seeing some possible micron thin flaking of the surface leads me to believe it's plated metal, but it isn't copper underneath. That may just be the way the corrosion is attacking the surface as this pitting will buff out to a silver luster. At the price of $5.99, I thought was worth buying just to possibly figure out what this item might be and get a little education out of it. It measures 16cm by 11cm so it's a small tray and I do believe it does have some age to it.

 

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[Red-Coat]

That’s a pseudo-hallmark on American plate Tam.

After the crowned leopard head, the two letters are a Gothic ‘V’ and ‘O’ for the Victor Obler Company of New York. Obler was a Russian emigre who settled in New York in 1925 and was active at 136 East 57th Street and then later at 417 East 76th Street during the 1940s. His speciality was “Authentic Reproductions of Old Sheffield Plate and Antique Silver on Copper".

Not sure when the company ceased business, but Victor died in 1974.

Happy New Year!

 

[tamrock]

That’s a pseudo-hallmark on American plate Tam.

After the crowned leopard head, the two letters are a Gothic ‘V’ and ‘O’ for the Victor Obler Company of New York. Obler was a Russian emigre who settled in New York in 1925 and was active at 136 East 57th Street and then later at 417 East 76th Street during the 1940s. His speciality was “Authentic Reproductions of Old Sheffield Plate and Antique Silver on Copper".

Not sure when the company ceased business, but Victor died in 1974.

Happy New Year!

Thank you very much RC. I believe it would not have crossed my mind that this was produced here in my homeland. As I do most times appreciate your knowledge of things such as this. I thought that looked like two crossed swords on this item instead of two crossed keys.

Happy New year to you

 

[Red-Coat]

You're welcome.

I should have added that the "Old Sheffield Plate" process involves heat and pressure bonding of a sheet of silver each side of a (usually copper) core. The silver is usually thicker than would be the case for electroplating, but there is interaction between the layers of silver and copper as a result of partial melting. You often won't see any copper below, except on deeply scratched or heavily corroded items... and it corrodes in a different manner to electroplate.

 

[tamrock]

You're welcome.

I should have added that the "Old Sheffield Plate" process involves heat and pressure bonding of a sheet of silver each side of a (usually copper) core. The silver is usually thicker than would be the case for electroplating, but there is interaction between the layers of silver and copper as a result of partial melting. You often won't see any copper below, except on deeply scratched or heavily corroded items... and it corrodes in a different manner to electroplate.

Thank you RC. I did wonder after your first response if Victor Obler did hold true to the traditional method of Sheffield plating.