International Silver marks

About International Silver

International Silver Company was formed in 1898 by the consolidation of established silver manufacturers in the northeastern United States and Canada. Organized under New Jersey law, it developed its headquarters in Meriden, Connecticut. Important constituent businesses included Meriden Britannia, Barbour, Holmes & Edwards, Rogers firms and Watrous. Their existing names and trademarks often continued alongside the new corporate identity.

The group made sterling and silver-plated flatware, holloware, hotel equipment and decorative objects. Factories throughout the Meriden and Wallingford area supplied a broad market, from domestic table services to institutional dining. International also commissioned modern designs, including Henry Dreyfuss’s flatware for the 20th Century Limited in 1938. Its marks can therefore combine a constituent name, a corporate name, a material description and a pattern or model identifier.

During the postwar period the business diversified into other forms of metalworking and manufacturing. In 1969 the parent corporation adopted the name Insilco, while International Silver remained the silverware subsidiary. Sales and factory changes followed as the market contracted. Silverware production in Meriden ended by 1984, but the International name continued under subsequent owners. The history of the brand consequently extends beyond the operation of any one factory.