James Dixon and Sons - Info wanted.

[lazarus 68]

Originally posted by Cynthia

I have a cruet made by the Dixon Company. It is two tiered with a handle in the middle. It has four holes in the metal holding two glass bottles almost like two small decanters, I suppose they are for vinegar and oil. Also there are two further holes with a glass pepper pot- the top is metal and a mustard pot ,the top also is metal.

The markings are as follows.

 

X

Bugle with banner hanging from underneath

Numbers almost worn away with cleaning

EPBM

3340

 

This cruet belonged to my grandmother and has been in the family for at least 70 years.

I would love to know just how old it is.

 

I think that the letters EPBM may mean ELECTROPLATED BRITANNIA METAL and the numbers are a pattern No and the bugle with the banner is probably a trade mark. Brittania Metal was just a sheet of copper that was rolled with a sheet of silver and any object made from that marriage looked just like the more expensive sterling silver and any piece of cutlery where the silver has become bare (the base metal showing through) it can be re-plated but I dont recomend this with any valuable piece.

 

Marinthea, Canada.

[lazarus 68]

Originally posted by dianess

I have a rather large serving spoon that has the James Dixon and Sons mark J D & S, but just before it, it has a Capitol letter "A" in a circle, nothing else. The spoon is engraved with a garden in Melbourne, Australia, "Boathouse Kew". Can anyone tell me if the A just simply signifies Australia, or maybe a year of manufacture? There is no indication of any heel wear or pitting. I kind of thought it might be sterling, but there are no assay marks or anything. Was silverware made in the Sheffield Plate process? Thanks in advance for any information.

 

Sheffield hallmarks are only put on sterling silver pieces, at a guess the A in a circle could be the first name of the customer that ordered it, it could have been a company or a shipping line but I must add company logos are usually placed on the front of the shank towards the tip. If there is no wear on the heel of the spoon its a good bet it was used the proper way with the bowl facing down on the table and the heel facing up, this is how people showed off their wealth by displaying the hallmarks.

[lazarus 68]

Hi Moonmaiden the marks you are querying look just like ordinary marks that are put on their pieces E.P. just means ELECTRO PLATE the other Nos are just pattern identification.

When describing silver plate in the trade to-day we still say E.P.

[dsoderhan 10]

I have a teapot, creamer and another pot..JAmes Dixon and Sons, 1843. Does anyone know the value of such items?

[lazarus 68]

Hi Moon Maiden, the numbers 9/3888 that are just visible are just scratched on they are probably the work of a Pawnbroker, thats the way they used to be marked. I have an old Silver Pocket Watch and its covered in barely visible marks.

[Tazz070299 10]

Originally posted by Moon Maiden

hi,

 

 

So what do I want? Any information regarding dating this piece and any history anyone has on the above company.

 

Any help greatly appreciated.

If memory isn't failing me, James Dixons went under in the early 1980s because of cash flow problems.

Those old enough will remember silver prices going through the roof in the late 70's (rampant UK inflation), and Silversmiths in particular had real problems because the price they were having to pay for new stocks of raw silver were far greater than the money the companies were getting from the buyers of existing stock. This was made worse because Dixon's only supplied the trade, who typically were only paying up after 90 days, if at all, as they too were struggling.

 

Can't remember if someone bought the Dixon's trade mark. Before going under Dixon's were a leading light of the Company of Master Cutlers, fought hard for the "made in Sheffield" tag to be restricted to items actually made in Sheffield because company's like V*@ns were allegedto be inmporting cheap cutlery from the far east, and stamping it V*'ns of Sheffield.

[lazarus 68]

It wasnt the English inflation that made the cost of Silver to rise, it was two brothers either in U.S.A. or in the far east who bought up nearly all the worlds reserves just to corner the market and make the price rise which they successfully did.

All of DIXONS marks are now owned by THE SOLPRO GROUP including BRITISH SILVERWARE which is situated at WINDSOR ST down ATTERCLIFFE. When I worked at BRITISH SILVERWARE I saw the the hundreds of marks and dies that they had down Heeley and they stil had hundreds more at Windsor St.

The craftmanship of the work on the dies was top class.

[helbco 10]

dianess - ther is a Boathouse in Kew in Melbourne - but have no idea how about the Dixon connection.

 

Is James Dixon still in business? I have a large amount of their silver plate - last visited their office in 1982 - just after their first liquidation!! Not surprised as their office and stock control was archaic! I would like to buy more if it is still being manufactured - cant buy in Australia any more.

 

Also - my grandfather was a silversmith and cutler - how do you find out what was his hall mark - I have had no response from various libriares etc.

[maggied 10]

I have 'Sidney' silver for James Dixon. Anyone know what this is?

[retep 68]

I worked at Dixons for a short time, on the photograph on this site through the main gate, to the left there's a doorway in the end building upstairs third floor I think, overlooking the river Don, used to chuck all the mistakes through the window.

 

To the right of the main gate near the end of the main building was holloware where they made tea pots etc.

 

Still got a buffing stool, and some of the Victorian cupboard doors that I acquired when they were converted into flats.

They have some interesting snippets pasted on them, must get round to scanning them, as I remember something about children under ten years old not being employed, and some formula's for something or other.

[lazarus 68]

Originally posted by retep

I worked at Dixons for a short time, on the photograph on this site through the main gate, to the left there's a doorway in the end building upstairs third floor I think, overlooking the river Don, used to chuck all the mistakes through the window.

 

To the right of the main gate near the end of the main building was holloware where they made tea pots etc.

 

Still got a buffing stool, and some of the Victorian cupboard doors that I acquired when they were converted into flats.

They have some interesting snippets pasted on them, must get round to scanning them, as I remember something about children under ten years old not being employed, and some formula's for something or other.

 

Sorry retep but there is no such thing as a BUFFING STOOL you could only Buff stood up, you would get very bad back ache if you worked sat down. Buffers had to use their whole body when Buffing this is impossible when sat down.

[retep 68]

Sorry i should have said a stool from a buffing shop, the old fella used to use it when he was buffing fine stuff, and so pee's on your theory about impossible when sat down.

 

He also spent plenty of time making fishing lure's out of silver tea spoons.