How do you date Gorham silverware?
When it came to dating the pieces by the year, Gorham embraced the sterling standard in 1868 and marks for each year were added. Pieces created between 868 and 1884 were marked with capital letters. Then, from 1885 to 1933, icons were used, such as a wolf head or a parachute.
Is Gorham silverware real silver?
Beginning in 1863, Gorham became a powerhouse in plated silver, and it left coin silver behind for sterling silver in 1868, producing everything from flatware such as knives, forks, and spoons to hollowware pieces ranging from coffee pots to serving bowls.
Is Gorham sterling silver worth anything?
Recent examples with strong provenance have sold for over $20,000, though many smaller pieces have sold between $1,000 to $10,000 dollars, depending on demand and condition.
How do I know if my Gorham is sterling?
All American sterling silver is marked “Sterling” and sometimes also has “925” or “925/1,000” in the mark, to indicate sterling silver. If you have an item with the Gorham three-symbol mark, and it doesn’t say “Sterling,” or “Martelé,” it is silver-plated.
How do I know if my Gorham is Sterling?
Is Gorham sterling worth anything?
Is Gorham a good brand?
“Gorham is always of good quality,” says Steve Nelson, of Nelson & Nelson Antiques. “Until the nineteen fifties or so, the pieces had a great weight to them.” The most widely recognized patterns, he notes, are Chantilly and Buttercup.
All American sterling silver is marked STERLING and sometimes also has 925 or 925/1000 in the mark, to indicate sterling silver. If you have an item with the Gorham 3 symbol mark, and it doesn’t say STERLING, or MARTELE, it is silverplate.
What is the hallmark for solid silver?
A stamp indicating the purity of the silver is called the assayer’s mark. The mark for silver meeting the sterling standard of purity is the Lion Passant, but there have been other variations over the years, most notably the mark indicating Britannia purity.
What is Gorham sterling silver flatware worth?
Retail, the 72-piece flatware set should probably be valued in the $3,000 to $4,000 range — if it is indeed without serving pieces — but for fair market value, that price drops significantly to the items’ worth as silver metal, and that is probably in the $1,000 to $1,500 range.
How can you tell if a Gorham tea set is sterling silver?
Let’s dive further into the Gorham sterling silver identification over the years… Being able to identify a piece of sterling silver, whether it is a silver plate mark or a tea set, as a Gorham piece is fairly simple thanks to the consistent silver markings that were used during the manufacturing of the pieces.
What are the history of Gorham silver marks?
History Of Gorham Silver Marks 1 The Start. Being able to identify a piece of sterling silver, whether it is a silver plate mark or a tea set, as a Gorham piece is fairly simple thanks 2 Early Years. Hallmarks on the silver pieces were not consistent in the first few years. 3 Later Years. …
When did Gorham stop using the year mark?
The use of the year mark was suspended until 1941, at which time Gorham silver adopted a system of marking their ” important pieces” with polygonal figures sorrounding a numeral. The number of the sides indicated the decade of manufacture, the numeral, the year. 1950, 1960 and 1970 dates had no numeral.
What was the first number on a Gorham tea set?
Sterling tea sets and some other hollowware items manufactured by Gorham, were assigned numbers in a decimal sequence. For example, the earliest tea set design was assigned the number ten, the second tea set was assigned the number twenty, and so on. From 1857 to about 1870, there were variations within those numbers available to customers.
Let’s dive further into the Gorham sterling silver identification over the years… Being able to identify a piece of sterling silver, whether it is a silver plate mark or a tea set, as a Gorham piece is fairly simple thanks to the consistent silver markings that were used during the manufacturing of the pieces.
History Of Gorham Silver Marks 1 The Start. Being able to identify a piece of sterling silver, whether it is a silver plate mark or a tea set, as a Gorham piece is fairly simple thanks 2 Early Years. Hallmarks on the silver pieces were not consistent in the first few years. 3 Later Years.
What kind of teapot is engraved with Gorham F?
Gorham YC791 Vintage Teapot “F” engraved. New! Gorham Centennial Chantilly Silver plated Coffee Tea Set 4 Style No YC3300 New! Gorham Centennial Chantilly Silver plated Coffee Tea Set 4 Style No YC3300
The use of the year mark was suspended until 1941, at which time Gorham silver adopted a system of marking their ” important pieces” with polygonal figures sorrounding a numeral. The number of the sides indicated the decade of manufacture, the numeral, the year. 1950, 1960 and 1970 dates had no numeral.
