Found this beautiful (albeit tarnished) silver bowl at a thrift store. Can’t find anything about it online. I assume it’s silver plated and not sterling because it doesn’t feel extremely heavy, but I cannot figure out what the 938 on the bottom means. The only place I’ve ever seen that before is in German sterling silver, but Wallace is an american company.
R. WALLACE & SONS MFG CO - Wallingford CT
The founder of the firm was Robert Wallace who, after his apprenticeship to Captain William Mix, began in 1833 his own manufacture of Britannia (a pewter alloy) spoons. In 1834 Wallace started the manufacture of spoons in German silver, supplying his production to Hall, Elton & Co until 1849.
In 1849 Wallace entered in partnership with J.B. Pomeroy manufacturing German silver spoons on contract for Fred R. Curtis & Co of Hartford and Britannia spoons for Hall, Elton & Co and Edgar Atwater of Wallingford.
In 1855 was formed the R. Wallace & Co in partnership with Samuel Simpson, H.C. Wilcox, W.W. Lyman and Isaac C. Lewis (partners in the Meriden Britannia Co).
In 1865 a new contract was made and the firm was organised under the name of Wallace, Simpson & Co.
Robert Wallace took in 1870 the entire control of the firm and the corporate name changed again to R.Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. in partnership with his sons Robert B. and William J. and his son-in-law W.J. Leavenworth.
In 1875 was founded the Wallace Brothers, a co-partnership of Robert Wallace, his sons Robert B., William J., Henry L., George H., Frank A. and his sons-in-law W.J. Leavenworth and D.E. Morris. The firm manufactured silverplate flatware on a base of cast steel and silverplated holloware. The holloware production ceased in 1879 and Wallace Brothers was acquired by the corporation of R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co.
The firm opened a plant in Canada (Cookshire, Quebec) in 1924. The Canadian branch was incorporated in 1945 as R. Wallace & Sons of Canada Ltd (sold in 1964).
In the 1950s the firm bought Watson Company of Attleboro, Tuttle Silver Company and Smith & Smith, changing its name to Wallace Silversmiths in 1956.
Wallace Silversmiths was purchased in 1959 by Hamilton Watch Company. In 1971 it became a division of H.M.W. Industry and in 1983 a Subsidiary of Katy Industries Inc.
In 1986 the business was acquired by Syratech Corporation trading hands multiple times before ending up as part of Lifetime Brands in 2006.
The “OLD WALLINGFORD” attribution to Wallace is only a hypothesis.