Mappin Brothers ~ Queen Plate ~ Is it Silver Plate or Electroplate or Sheffield Plate

[rockrancher]

I tried to research this, but it's  a little confusing.  Found this ornate triple clam shell dish, with glass inserts. I found only one other, but without the glass inserts.  The one I found said it was silver plate circa 1890. 

It is marked on the base under the (Sun Logo) 

       MAFFIN BROTHERS

      66 CHEAPSIDE. E.G.

    220 REGENT SI. WARD

QUEENS WORKS. SHEFFIELD

          QUEENS PLATE

                  627

Each shell is also marked with R9. 180181

Questions.

- Is it Silver Plate or Electroplate or Sheffield Plate?

- Is it worth cleaning before listing?

Any other info is always helpful.

Thanks in Advance

[jrkirk]

All silverplate is electroplated silverplate, and Queens Plate is just Sheffield's brand name for the term. Polish is your choice and an option if you want to improve the appearance.

[rockrancher]

I'm sorry , but I'm still confused, I apologize for my ignorance. Along the line of what JrKirk wrote, I also read "Electroplating with silver is now known as silverplating, leading to some confusion with the completely different process used to produce Sheffield plate."

So that brings me to the question, back in the late 1890's  was it called silverplating or was it a different  process to produce Sheffield plate.

Thanks for the patience

[flanagan-laneantiques]

rockrancher, the previous poster does not know what he is talking about.  Not all silver plate is electroplate. 

Electroplating and Sheffield plate are completely different silver plating processes. 

Sheffield plate, AKA old Sheffield plate, is a labor intensive silver plating on copper process.  You can look up the process online for a more complete explanation.  I don't have the time here.  Sheffield plate became obsolete around 1830 when electroplating was invented.  Very few Sheffield plate pieces were made after 1840.   Your piece is NOT Sheffield plate.  

[rockrancher]

Thank-you.

So - is it silver plate or electroplate. 

[jrkirk]

Without resorting to disrespect, Silverplate is a process by which silver is deposited using electrical current onto a base metal, and various base metals can be used for that purpose.  As I said previously, all silverplate is electroplated by definition. If the other poster wants to split hairs on how 'Sheffield Plate' is different, I'll let them define how that is possible. Silver has been electroplated onto base metals for a very long time, and various makers  have used different terms for their end products.

[*smedley*]

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@jrkirk wrote:

Without resorting to disrespect, Silverplate is a process by which silver is deposited using electrical current onto a base metal, and various base metals can be used for that purpose.  As I said previously, all silverplate is electroplated by definition. If the other poster wants to split hairs on how 'Sheffield Plate' is different, I'll let them define how that is possible. Silver has been electroplated onto base metals for a very long time, and various makers  have used different terms for their end products.

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there are no hairs to split... Sheffield plate and electroplate have the same general end result, but the processes are completely different...

[lacemaker3]

@rockrancher, to decipher that mark for you, here is what it means. You misread some of it, and some of  the words can't be clearly read in your picture. But, the mark is known.

MAPPIN BROTHERS	The name of the company that made it.
66 CHEAPSIDE ??	The address of their showroom in London.
220 REGENT ST. W. AND QUEENS WORKS. SHEFFIELD	The addresses of their locations in Sheffield.
QUEEN'S PLATE	Their name for the plating process (probably electroplate, because the design appears to be late 19th or early 20th century).
627	Probably a model # or design #.

There is a difference between electroplating and Sheffield plating. The earlier way to plate one metal onto another (such as gold onto silver, for silver gilt; or silver onto a base metal for silver plate) was through heat and pressure. Sheffield plate was made like this, since the mid-18th century.

Electroplating was invented later, and from about 1840 on, electroplating has mostly replaced Sheffield plating because it is cheaper and uses less silver. Sheffield plate was rarely used since the mid 19th century.