The most-respected text on manufactured American silver has now gone one step further. The authors have updated the text and added photos to now include over 2400 marks illustrated with brief histories and cross references of more than 1600 manufacturers. The result is the most comprehensive reference source on the subject.

With more than 2300 marks illustrated and brief histories and cross-references of more than 1600 manufacturers, this is the most comprehensive reference source on the subject. To compile the information presented here, the authors devoted much time researching numerous sources. These include various editions of Trademarks of the Jewelry & Kindred Trades, U.S. Patent Office records, silver and jewelry catalogs of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, records of companies still in business, and pieces examined in antiques shops all over the country. This fifth edition includes new trademarks, additional companies, and brings to date the many changes in company ownership during the last decade.

The identification and dating of American jewelry heretofore has been difficult because few pieces bear standard markings and the references have been diverse, hard to find, and incomplete. Using old trade journals and their related directories as her primary sources, the eminent silver historian Dorothy Rainwater has exhaustively compiled here for the first time a comprehensive reference of jewelry trademarks and manufacturers in alphabetical order. She has also written a history of jewelry making in the United States which explains the framework upon which this enormous industry was built. The large scale manufacturers which began in the 1840s form a major portion of this directory. it is surprising to learn that only in 1961, after years of effort by the Jeweler's Vigilance Committee and the backing of trade journals, did American law require makers' marks on new jewelry. Therefore, this reference should become an important sourcebook for every jeweler, collector, antique jewelry dealer and manufacturing historian for the foreseeable future.

First published in 1968, this classic work remains the basic reference book for collectors and fanciers of American spoons. Now offered in a new edition, it will be a welcome resource in your library. Spoons themselves originated in prehistoric times, when shells performed their function for the inhabitants of southern Europe, but spoons as commemorative items began with the Niagra Falls Suspension Bridge Spoon patented by Myron H. Kinsley in 1881. Soon their popularity spread as ideal mementos for practically every conceivable event, personage, or natural wonder. Ranging from expensive sterling silver sets to fifteen cent mailorder spoons, the variety of design, quality and interests reflected in this richly illustrated book is truly impressive.

In response to popular demand for this classic reference, this enlarged and renewed edition will be even more valued by historians and collectors. Long considered the "bible" by silverplate collectors, it has continued to be the most comprehensive reference in the silverplate world. This one volume contains a complete history of silverplating materials, the refining process, and design changes. Drawn from many sources, this lovely book has color illustrations as well as over 500 line cuts and black and white photographs. There is also a chapter on the care and restoration of silverplate that contains much helpful advice for the collector. This new edition features--for the first time--a price guide of current values.