Old Sheffield Plate

OSP Pair of table salts, the interiors gilded to prevent corrosion. 'Bleeding' of the copper can be seen on the rims.

Old Sheffield Plate (or OSP) is the name generally given to the material developed by Thomas Boulsover in the 1740s, a fusion of copper and sterling silver[1] which could be made into a range of items normally made in solid silver.[2] The material rapidly gained popularity as a substitute for solid silver, as it was much cheaper to produce. Any object made in silver could in effect be made in Old Sheffield Plate, although objects subject to heavy wear such as spoons and forks were not so satisfactory in plate.

The characteristic identifying feature of OSP is the 'bleeding' or 'show through' of the copper base,[3] especially on points of wear although there is also a subtle difference in colour from the pure silver of electro plating to the "very faintly bluish lustre" of OSP.[4] In addition to having a distinct bluish cast, the alloy produced in OSP is also harder than electrodeposited silver. [5] The material remained popular until being replaced by the electroplate process in the 1840s.

Items produced in Old Sheffield Plate included buttons, caddy spoons, fish slices, serving utensils, candlesticks and other lighting devices, coffee and tea sets, serving dishes and trays, tankards and pitchers and larger items such as soup tureens and hot-water urns.

'Old Sheffield Plate' with all three word capitalised is the accepted term in the antiques trade for this material. The expression 'Sheffield plate' and all variations thereof are generic terms which may apply to any product of silver appearance made in Sheffield, UK.[6]

  1. ^ Hughes, Bernard (1970). Sheffield Silver Plate. Praeger Publishers. pp. 39–42. LCCN 72114296.
  2. ^ Crosskey, Gordon (2013). Old Sheffield Plate: A History of the 18th Century Plated Trade (2nd ed.). Sheffield, England: Treffrey Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9568003-1-2.
  3. ^ Helliwell, Stephen J. (1996). Understanding Antique Silver Plate. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Antique Collectors' Club. p. 131. ISBN 1-85149-247-X.
  4. ^ Hughes, G. Bernard (1970). Antique Sheffield Plate. London: B T Batsford. p. 15. ISBN 0-7134-0723-9.
  5. ^ Bradbury, Frederick (1912). History of Old Sheffield Plate: Being an Account of the Origin, Growth, and Decay of the Industry, and of the Antique Silver and White Britannia Metal Trade, with Chronological Lists of Makers' Marks and Numerous Illustrations of Specimens. Macmillan and Company, limited.
  6. ^ Frost, T. W. (1971). The Price Guide to Old Sheffield Plate. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Antique Collectors' Club. p. 1.