Thread: Shaving mug ID help

I have a question and I'm hoping the mug Gurus can shed some light for me. I have an old silver plated 2pc shaving mug with insert, from my late Grandpa, given to me be Grandma years after Gramps passed. Searching the net I came across knives, silent butlers & tea pots from Rochester Stamping Works, but Nothing about shaving mugs from this company. Is this a rare bird I have here?

Really I'm just trying to Date the mug so I know about how old it is, maybe a value, so I can pass it on someday. I have attached a couple photos and one of the logo on the bottom of the mug. The logo stamp is not very deep, or complete, making viewing it a pain. It says "Rochester Stamping" over a diamond shape. In the diamond shape it says "ROS CO". The S in the middle is larger and has a ships anchor in it.

The silver plate is wearing thin on the bottom and is coming off the inside bottom. I still use it from time to time. Hopefully it is still ok to use as is.

Ron

TDB,
Can't give valuations, it's against the SRP rules. (Solicitations, valuations, and sales
These are not allowed on Straight Razor Place, including the Chat, except in the Vendors and Auctions sections, and the Classifieds, under the respective rules.) SRP rules of conduct - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Probably one of the best ways to find an approximate timeline and value Is to look at eBay Shaving mug silver | eBay unless a member posts with some specific knowledge.
Nice looking item, wish I had my Grandfathers'!! And, Welcome to SRP!! Look forward to seeing you on the forums.

Best Regards,
Howard

Very nice!

I wonder what it would cost to re plate that thing? With the price of silver going up I would almost hate to look.

[QUOTEProbably one of the best ways to find an approximate timeline and value Is to look at eBay Shaving mug silver | eBay[/QUOTE]

Yeah, been there and done that on and off for the past couple of years... Never any luck. Also posted about it awhile back on Barber Shop Memorabilia with no replies yet. This is one elusive mug, just like the single pin Boker Grams also gave me. Never seen another one with the same scales yet, any where on the net. I get some pics if it up in the Boker Brotherhood soon...

Value?

If it were my family heirloom, it would be priceless to me and I'd do my best to make sure it was valued similarly by whomever it gets passed to.

Thanks for sharing the images. Seems like a very cool piece.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I wonder what it would cost to re plate that thing? With the price of silver going up I would almost hate to look.

Not sure, I was always led to believe that you should leave the original finish alone? It has a nice patina and more actual Shine to it than the pics show. I have thought about hitting it with a little Nevr-dull or some Maas. But then I'd be messing with the original patina. Well see what happens in time I guess.

I'm pretty sure that an antique dealer would tell you not to touch it. I concur. I have a feeling that it's not worth a fortune -- except to you, and in my opinion, the best way to honor your grandfather would be to use it, enjoy it, think of your grandfather... and pass on his memory and mug on to another generation.

probably if you do a search under Silver-hallmarks you would get something. if you have a large library nearby you could do it that way. Silver hallmarks are very well documented. I collect pocketwatches and you can date silver cases almost to the month they were made, the city it was made, the name of the silversmith and the guild he was a member of going back to the 1700s and before.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

probably if you do a search under Silver-hallmarks you would get something. if you have a large library nearby you could do it that way. Silver hallmarks are very well documented.

Yea, Been there done that. Found some Rochester "Stamping Works" and Rochester "Stamping Company", nothing like the hallmark on this mug. Even contacted the library in Rochester, NY. They have some old catalogs and took the time to look through them for this mug. They said the catalogs have nothing like my mug listed.