Alan,

Although not Steuben but maybe of interest to club members.

Here is an example of silver overlay done by the Canadian firm of Roden Brothers. They started in Toronto, Ontario in 1891 and were absorbed by Henry Birks in the early 1950’s.

The label shows the mark that they used on sterling flatware, etc. It includes the lion passant and 925. Roden Brothers also produced cut glass during the Brilliant Period. Like a lot of Canadian cut glass companies, they imported the glass blanks.

I believe that the moulded pieces shown here were probably produced by an American firm. Not sure of the production date of these pieces, however, most information suggests that it was out of fashion and production by the early thirties.

You will note the thickness of the deposit is much thinner compared to earlier pieces. I also find that it doesn’t polish as easily as a sterling object. Perhaps this has to do with the application techniques or the actual silver content of the deposit. A lot of the designs that you can easily find in shops in Ontario are quite intricate with flowers, birds, etc.

The prices are very low currently. Is polishing a lost art?

ÿ
Regards, Jeremy Hayes