Undated
FORBES SILVER CO. / QUADRUPLE / 416
QUADRUPLE sits outside the circular company device; no U.S.A. appears in this illustrated die.
stamped · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Silver
Forbes silver marks
Forbes silver marks include stamped “FORBES SILVER CO. U.S.A. / QUADRUPLE / 216” on silverplate in Meriden, Connecticut, United States.
- Active years
- From 1894
- Country
- United States
- City / region
- Meriden, Connecticut
- Products
- silverplated hollowware, pitchers, tea services, serving trays and bowls, toiletware, children’s silverplate
- Marks
- 5
Established 1894 within Meriden Britannia; part of International Silver from 1898. Catalogues extend through 1937, and Forbes-branded promotional silverplate was advertised in 1966. Exact final use unknown.
What to look for
- Compare the whole eagle-head layout. One seal places QUADRUPLE outside the circle; another puts it inside the outer ring with U.S.A. Pointed-oval and shield-initial versions use a different arrangement.
- The Gothic shields read F S Co. beside an eagle head. SHEFFIELD REPRODUCTION can appear above them; the words are part of this American maker’s branding.
- QUADRUPLE describes silverplating, rather than solid silver. A number beneath the device, such as 216 or 416, identifies the product pattern or model rather than a year.
Marks & lettering
5 marks
Undated
FORBES SILVER CO. U.S.A. / QUADRUPLE / 216
U.S.A. and QUADRUPLE are within the outer circular border, unlike the separate-wording seal.
stamped · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Undated
FORBES PLATE / E.P.-W.M. / WARRANTED
FORBES PLATE and E.P.-W.M. WARRANTED wording distinguish this from FORBES SILVER CO. QUADRUPLE.
stamped (catalogue drawing) · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Undated
FORBES / S.P.Co.
Pointed oval and abbreviated S.P.Co. distinguish it from the circular full-name seals.
stamped · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Undated
SHEFFIELD / REPRODUCTION; F S Co.
Separate F S Co. shields and the SHEFFIELD REPRODUCTION wording replace the surrounding full-name seal.
stamped · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
About Forbes Silver Co.
Forbes Silver Company began in 1894 as a silverplate line of the Meriden Britannia Company in Meriden, Connecticut. It made household hollowware, including pitchers, tea services, serving dishes and dressing-table accessories. Its name was distinct from the earlier Forbes family of New York silversmiths. The Forbes products were plated wares rather than that family’s eighteenth- and nineteenth-century silver.
Meriden Britannia became one of the constituent businesses of International Silver in 1898. Forbes continued within the larger company instead of disappearing at the merger. In 1918 it was described as a department of Factory E, the former Meriden Britannia operation. Later catalogues offered domestic serving ware, toiletware and children’s pieces under the Forbes name.
Forbes used an eagle’s head in several arrangements: inside circular wording, in a pointed oval and beside Gothic initials in shields. Some pieces carry the additional phrase Sheffield Reproduction. International Silver included Forbes in its 1920s and 1930s catalogues, including a 1937 edition. Promotional advertisements in 1966 again offered Forbes silverplate on copper made by International Silver.
Also known as: Forbes S.P. Co. · Forbes Plate · Forbes Silver Plate Company · Forbes Silver Company, a Meriden Britannia / International Silver brand
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
William Garret Forbes and the Forbes family, New York
The earlier silversmiths used personal-name marks such as W G FORBES. The later Meriden silverplate brand has the company wording or F S Co. and an eagle head.
Meriden Britannia Company
The parent’s circular marks use scales and MERIDEN B. COMPANY. Forbes seals use an eagle head and Forbes wording; common ownership explains the relationship without making the devices interchangeable.