This salver tray was a part of my late husband’s grandparents things which came from Ireland. Per the hallmarks, is appears to be a Martin Hall & Co EPGS. I believe this would date it in the range of 1854-1866 - before Martin Hall & Co became Ltd.
My husbands great-great-great grandparents were married in 1854, so it could possibly have been a wedding gift.
Is there any way for verify / tighten the date range by the engraving style, or is there any significance to the center ‘wreath’ design?
I cannot comment on the engraving style but I don’t think that EPGS as a name came into vogue until the 1880s and was then in use until the First World War when anything German was quickly phased out. No reliance for dating purposes on a lack of “Ltd” can be made as companies’ full abbreviations were not always used.
Phil
Thanks for the feedback. I had read on one site, that when Martin Hall & Co became LTD, they changed the mark and the shield was used in the period 1854-1866.
Sad that so much is just a guessing game with the silverplate. Which is why I had hoped to see if there were comparable engravings perhaps in sterling that might help pinpoint the date better.
Safe to say, it still is an old piece worthy of retaining in the family.
This might be of assistance:
ilvercollection.it/ENGLAMARTINHALL.html
Sets out the hallmarks range for the evolving company on its sterling items and the plated marks, including yours on the electro-plated et all range.
The modern generation, i.e. post the first war thinks of anything continental as vaguely second rate:
So “German Silver” (EPGS), “French Ivory”. (Celluloid. THe only exception seem to be for Swiss watches which efficient British things used to run like in the phrase of the day.
Perhaps this prejudice fueled thr BREXIT move too.
Christophner