From 1921
WILCOX S.P. CO. / EPNS / INTERNATIONAL S. CO. / W.M. MOUNTS
Half-circle design introduced in 1921, registered 1923; INTERNATIONAL S. CO. distinguishes the parent-company phase.
stamped · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Silver
Wilcox Silver Plate co marks
Wilcox Silver Plate co marks include stamped “WILCOX / IS / INTERNATIONAL SILVER CO.” on silverplate in United States.
- Active years
- c. 1865–1961
- Country
- United States
- City / region
- Meriden, Connecticut
- Products
- silverplated hollowware, table and serving wares, tea services, cruet stands
- Marks
- 5
Founded as Wilcox Britannia in 1865; Wilcox Silver Plate name from 1867; continued under International Silver from 1898; consolidated into Webster-Wilcox about 1961. The Meriden factory closed in 1941.
What to look for
- Read the complete stamp, including any INTERNATIONAL S. CO. or IS wording. These additions identify the International Silver phase, which began in 1898.
- Crossed raising hammers sit inside the early circular name mark. QUADRUPLE PLATE describes plating; a separate number, such as 649 or 2100, identifies an article or pattern rather than a year.
Marks & lettering
5 marks
Undated
WILCOX / SILVER PLATE CO. / 2100 / [lower line partly illegible]
Draped banner surrounds the lettering; the large 2100 is a separate article number.
stamped · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Undated
WILCOX SILVER PLATE CO. / QUADRUPLE PLATE / MERIDEN CONN.
Circular crossed-hammer emblem, with QUADRUPLE PLATE outside the ring; differs from plain lettering and the later half-circle.
stamped · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Undated
WILCOX / SILVER PLATE CO. / QUADRUPLE PLATE
Straight-line company name without the circular hammer emblem; QUADRUPLE PLATE occupies a lower line.
stamped · silverplate · Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Undated
WILCOX / IS / INTERNATIONAL SILVER CO.
Full INTERNATIONAL SILVER CO. wording below the boxed IS; differs from the abbreviated half-circle stamp.
stamped · silverplate · United States
About Wilcox Silver Plate
Wilcox Silver Plate Company began in Meriden, Connecticut, in 1865 as the Wilcox Britannia Company. It adopted the Silver Plate name in 1867 and acquired the hollowware manufacturer Parker & Casper in 1869. The company made plated table and serving wares, including cruet stands, tea services and ornamental vessels. It maintained New York salesrooms as well as its Connecticut factory.
Wilcox became one of the constituent companies of International Silver in 1898. Its name remained in use under the larger concern, so a Wilcox stamp does not by itself place an object before the merger. Production from Middletown Silver Plate transferred to Wilcox in 1899, and the related Superior Silver name also appears on wares made there. A half-circle Wilcox mark was introduced in 1921 and registered in 1923.
The Meriden factory closed in 1941 during wartime metal shortages. After the war, other International Silver factories made Wilcox designs. About 1961, Wilcox and E. G. Webster & Son were consolidated into Webster-Wilcox. The later combined name belongs to that successor line; earlier crossed-hammer and Wilcox-only marks identify different phases of the business.
Also known as: Wilcox Britannia Company · Wilcox S.P. Co. · Wilcox Silver Plate Company
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Meriden Britannia Company
Both operated in Meriden and later joined International Silver. Read the company name around the emblem; MERIDEN BRITANNIA is distinct from WILCOX SILVER PLATE.
Webster-Wilcox
The combined Webster-Wilcox wording identifies the successor line established about 1961, rather than an early Wilcox-only stamp.