Pair of "Mappin Plate" Pastry Tongs by Walter Trickett for Mappin & Webb

Offered for sale is a most elegant pair of "Mappin Plate" Pastry Tongs by Sheffield Silversmith, Walter Trickett for Mappin & Webb. Joseph Mappin founded in 1810 a trade as engraver in Fargate, Sheffield. This concern passed to one of his sons and finally the engraving business came to an end. Another son of Joseph Mappin (he too called Joseph) carried on the business of the cutler in Sheffield (Norfolk Street). He died in 1841 and till 1846 the firm was managed by his son Frederick Thorpe Mappin who took his brothers in the business and the firm became Joseph Mappin & Co. In 1846 the business was amalgamated with that of William Samson & Sons changing to Mappin Brothers. Its partners were the founder's four sons, Frederick Thorpe Mappin, Edward Mappin, Joseph Charles Mappin and John Newton Mappin. In 1850 John Newton Mappin retired from Mappin Brothers and established a new firm originally trading under the style Mappin & Co, changed in 1863 into Mappin & Webb after an agreement to avoid confusion between the two firms' names. Mappin Brothers continued to be advertised as the original firm, but in 1902 it was closed after being amalgamated with Mappin & Webb Ltd. In 1963 Mappin & Webb was amalgamated in British Silverware Ltd together with Elkington & Co Ltd and Walker & Hall Ltd. For a line of its silverplate production Mappin & Webb used the trade mark Princes Plate. Mappin and Webb silversmiths, factory in Sheffield was closed in 1971. At the present Mappin & Webb is a subsidiary of Sears Holding Ltd. These tongs are stamped Mappin & Webb as opposed to Mappin & Webb Ltd which dates them between 1863 & 1902.