Q: I found this in an antiques store a few years ago. I'm guessing it's a Victorian calling card holder. It's 7 inches high. There are two owls on a curved branch above the tray and a butterfly on a bush below it. Although you can't see it in the picture, there is a bar of music with "Should Owl'd Acquaintance Be Forgot" written beneath it on the tray. The accompanying mark is stamped on the bottom. The silver plating is gone. Can you tell me who made this and what it is worth? Would it devalue it if I have it re-plated?
A: Derby Silver Co. of Derby (Birmingham), Conn., used this mark. The company was founded in 1873 and was one of the companies that formed International Silver Co. in 1898. It became part of Meriden Silver Plate Co. in 1933. Henry Berry was granted a patent for the design of your "card receiver" on Feb. 28, 1882, and assigned the patent to the Derby Silver Co. A calling card tray similar to yours, in excellent condition, auctioned for $750 five years ago. But silver plate is selling for less now; with worn plating, yours would sell for a few hundred dollars. It will probably cost you more to re-plate than you will gain in resale value.
