Tea service (4) - Silverplated

This is a silver-plated tea and coffee service (not solid silver), probably English, in the Aesthetic Movement style, from around 1870–1895. It comprises a coffee pot, a small teapot, a two-handled covered sugar bowl, and a milk jug.

The hallmarks

These are pseudo-hallmarks. The silversmiths who worked with silverplate imitated the genuine English silver marks to convey “luxury.” Three are visible:

• a crowned shield bearing the initials AK: the maker’s mark;
• two small head profiles in a medallion: they imitate the duty mark with Victoria’s effigy;
• GP in a cartouche: probably an indication of the type of plating, with no certainty.

The crown provides a dating clue: its use on silver-plated metal was banned around 1896, so the manufacture is probably earlier. I have not been able to formally identify the manufacturer “AK.” The figures 1, 2 and 4 are assembly or model numbers.