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Grape Scissors 2 Metals


Kalfred

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Hello is I was trawling through Ebay’s scissors looking for a scissorsmith when I saw the scissors shown below.

Nest&Eggs  mark scissors comp fin.jpg

 

I was intrigued and I had to have a bid, all be it, ultimately unsuccessfully. I felt I must post a photo, as these grape scissors are certainly “Sheffield”.

These mixed metal scissors are easy to date using the date letter associated with the hallmark on the silver finger holes. The unembellished letter “o” without a Monarch’s head, together with the crown (for Sheffield) indicates the assay at the Sheffield Assay Office in 1931. The maker of the silver part of the scissors is indicated by the “S.H.&Co.” but I will reference that later.

We can see from the rear pivot area of the scissors that the blades are made of Sheffield England stainless steel and from the pivot front we a clear pictorial probable trademark with lettering below it. The “nest” with eggs in was the trademark of Sheffield’s Southern & Richardson and I think you will be able to “fill in the spaces” to confirm that makers name. These cutlery makers were known at the “Don Cutlery Works” from the middle of the 19th century and there are several images of knives spread around the forum. One of these did suggest the trademark was a “thistle” or has this been a mis-interpretation of the image on a much older and tarnished knife compared to these 20th century scissors. From a reference I think I read on line, technically, the grape scissors may not have been made by “Southern & Richardson” as in the 1920s that named company had been incorporated into a larger Sheffield concern and the latter continued with the trademarks. Hopefully the “forum” can clear this up.

Returning to the “S.H.&Co.” maker’s mark now. The website www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk that I always confidently use for identifying British silversmiths, identifies the silver finger parts as having been made “probably, by Sydney Hall & Co”, and gives them an address of “Birmingham”. If there is other information regarding the maker please enlighten us, as there will be would be many interested to know.

I hope there are others on the forum, like me, who like and wish they owned the grape scissors.

Kalfred

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Southern and Richardson was formed in 1828 by Francis Southern and Samuel Richardson, their partnership being dissolved in February 1869 and Mr Richardson continued alone, at their Don Works in Doncaster Street. In 1928 Samuel Gray Richardson retired as Chairman after 60 years, and serving as Master Cutler in 1889.

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Thank you SteveHB and Edmund for adding info to this post. Anybody know about the silversmithing? Did Hall & Co have a base in Sheffield or were the silver parts just "bough in" from Birmingham for Sheffield assay?

Thanks

Kalfred

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Just a thought but I have only seen the Sydney Hall & Co mark shown in two rectangles where as the mark on the scissors is in two lozenges  and a rectangle more like the Sibray Hall & Co. mark. I am not sure when Sibray Hall closed or were taken over or also whether that mark was used on silver or just silver plate. Unfortunately I haven't a better picture of the Sibray Hall one, I think this one was taken from a round object so is a bit out of shape.

sidney_hall.jpg

sibray_hall.jpg

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Sibray, Hall, and Company of 111-115 St Mary's Road, silver and electro-plate manufacturers and merchants were put in the hands of the official receiver with unsecured liabilities of £2,614 7s 7d in April 1931. A winding up order had been made in February. In June 1929 they had to take out a loan on their Fitzwalter Works to pay for a loan coming due with Lloyds Bank.

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1 hour ago, Edmund said:

Sibray, Hall, and Company of 111-115 St Mary's Road, silver and electro-plate manufacturers and merchants were put in the hands of the official receiver with unsecured liabilities of £2,614 7s 7d in April 1931. A winding up order had been made in February. In June 1929 they had to take out a loan on their Fitzwalter Works to pay for a loan coming due with Lloyds Bank.

Hello Edmund  . do you know if that was Sibray Hall & Co Ltd who I think were the successors to Sibray Hall & Co., or was the company re-formed as a Ltd company after this event.

EDIT I think I can answer my own question I have just seen a 1908 piece marked Sibray Hall & Co Ltd .

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 The "Sibray Hall & Co" company is an interesting alternative maker idea and the 1931 hallmark date does not totally exclude them. The marks I have posted may have been modified a little at the size I managed to enhance them to. That said the "SH" appears in 2 close but seperate cut corner squares and not in the single rectangle as in yours and the other example on the website I refered to. Silversmiths did however slightly change marks over time and not all changes have been recorded at assay centres. Further enquiries required.

Kalfred

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I checked a few of the listed Sibray Hall & Co hallmarks. They had official marks at the Sheffield assay office and at London.  The below mark is an early one for Sheffield, an unembellished letter “O” with a Monarch’s head, so for 1881.

896542824_silbrayHallCo.jpg.34cebc1eb56c4aa840696e7c4ee15d18.jpg

It features the initials of Frank Sibray and Job Hall but then, after the death of the former in 1891, there were of marks of various styles but featuring initials of “ Job Frank Hall”. When “Hall” retired around 1900, the company used a “CCP” mark relating to “ Charles Clement Pilling” who had taken the company on. It seems that “CCP” has only been noted on Sheffield or London silver items up to 1922.  

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