Chats on Old Sheffield Plate

The volume traces a century-long development of silver-plated ware produced by fusing thin silver sheets to a copper base, explaining the techniques of old Sheffield plate and its diffusion beyond its place of origin. It surveys common forms and patterns—candlesticks and candelabra, salt cellars and mustard pots, cake baskets, teapots and coffee services, tureens and centrepieces—and reproduces pattern-book designs and illustrations. The author offers guidance for collectors, evaluates the reliability of maker’s marks, discusses commercial and legal tensions with silversmiths, and describes the shift from traditional fusion methods to modern electro-plating.