Jennifer:

Your description of the mark doesn't help much! I do not recall anything that looks like that. When marks become worn, things look different. For instance one mark uses 3 feather plumes on top...and that might look like a crown. You would really need to let an appraiser check the mark.

There were several Meriden companies in Meriden, CN. One was Meriden Britannia Company organized in 1852 making mostly items in britannia (a silver looking metal without any silver content and much harder than pewter) and later silver plated items. They purchased Rogers Brothers Mfg. Co. in 1862. In 1895 they bought a small silversmith shop (Wilcox) and produced their first sterling holloware. Meriden established several branches in Canada and England. This company was one of the leaders in joining together to form the International Silver Company in 1898. Some marks of different companies were used even after Insco was formed.

Your piece is of course electro-plated silver on copper. It probably would not have a large value, but I'm sure is be satisfying to own.

If you wish to have an ISA appraiser look at it for you, you can search for one in your area by going to
http://www.isa-appraisers.org/ISA_form.html.

Thanks for writing ISA

Bill Carner
Birmingham, AL

I have a Meridan Sugar pot, the marks on it are a crown with a small circle above it, a cursive S in the middle and something on the end which looks like a circle, with a band of small circles across the circle. And it says silver on copper at the bottom. Can anyone tell me anything about it? having a hard time tracking down Meridan through IS Co. Thanks.