Purchase Tickets
By Tom McGehee
Museum Home Director
No visitor to the Bellingrath Home can leave without feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the vast array of silver on display. There is an assortment of American, English, and French pieces, including objects of (nearly) pure silver as well as silver plate.
English Hallmarked:
The oldest items in the silver display were crafted in England in the 18th century and bear three hallmarks. The system of English hallmarks dates back to 1363 and guarantees the purity of the silver, making it the oldest form of consumer safety in England. The three marks include one to identify the maker, a letter indicating the production date, and a third symbol known as the standard mark, ensuring the piece is no less than 92.5% pure silver. Hallmarked items in the Bellingrath Collection span from the 18th to the early 20th century.
Sheffield Plate:
A process where copper sheets were rolled between and fused with silver films dates as early as 1742 in Sheffield, England. By the end of the century, Matthew Boulton found ways to produce candlesticks, coffee pots, tea pots, etc., using ribbons of solid silver at the rims and edges where wear would have been the worst. The Bellingrath Collection features early entrée dishes, wine coolers, and epergnes dating to the early 19th century.
EPNS (Electro-plated Nickel Silver or Copper):
In 1840, a patented process used an electric current to coat copper or Nickel Silver wares with a layer of silver. This was a less expensive process than the Sheffield method, and by 1852, only one workshop in Sheffield continued producing the earlier version. The Bellingrath Collection includes both English and American versions.
French Silver:
Similar to England, France required a hallmarking system ensuring the silver’s purity. One outstanding piece in the Bellingrath Collection is the soup tureen on a stand, created to celebrate the completion of the 107-mile-long Suez Canal in 1869.
American Coin Silver:
Before significant silver mines were discovered in the U.S., silversmiths often obtained silver by melting down coins with varying silver content. The purity level was typically 900 parts silver to 100 parts copper. Notable examples in the collection include an ornate compote and water pitcher.
Sterling Silver:
After the Civil War, American coins were uniformly made of 92.5% pure silver, and the mark “Sterling” was introduced. Tiffany & Co. was the first firm to use this mark, and the Bellingrath Collection features numerous examples of sterling silver, from flatware to various serving pieces.