Thimble of Mexican sterling silver (925) in classic shape but unusual construction. Sides have a vertical seam and top is capped with a domed and dimpled top. This horizontal joint is then wrapped with a band of silver.
Heavy applied decoration: upper 3/5 of sides have three flowering plants growing out of S-scrolls below and C-scrolls arranged in the lower 2/5. The scrolled decoration is applied like quilled paper. This raised decoration stands out against a black painted body.
Struck along inside of rim is "MEXICO" and "IGU---" over "92-". Other marks unclear. (See Notes) A "2" is struck on outside of body creating a circular depression.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Dark overall with what appears to be black paint. All salient surfaces are worn and there are paint losses. Distortion of body and multiple places where maker has struck lettering or designs.
Object ID
G.05.15.37
Notes
See another example of this ring found on internet in this file. Iguala is a town near the renowned silvermaking town of Taxco (near the west coast of Mexico) where William Spratling, in the 1930s, famously reinstituted the silver industry and craftsmanship that had died centuries before.
Place of Origin
Iguala de la Independencia, Guerrero, Mexico
Credit
Gift of Susan Garofola in memory of Lillian Kiker (mother), Heritage Center Collection
Thimble of "Alpaca Silver" (see Notes). Similar to G.05.15.38, the sides have a vertical seam and are capped by a domed top with a waffle pattern produced by a machine. Upper half of sides have vertical rows of hand-punched dimples. Plain bottom half. Bottom edge has a raised, applied band with 10 hand-set pieces of vari-colored abalone. Solder points quite visible.
Struck inside rim is "-LPACA". Most likely made in Mexico
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Dents/distortion at sides as well as significant tarnish.
Object ID
G.05.15.39
Notes
Nickel silver, German silver, Argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, alpacca, or electrum is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver is named for its silvery appearance, but it contains no elemental silver unless plated. The name "German silver" refers to its development by 19th-century German metalworkers in imitation of the Chinese alloy known as paktong (cupronickel). All modern, commercially important nickel silvers (such as those standardized under ASTM B122) contain significant amounts of zinc, and are sometimes considered a subset of brass.
Place of Origin
Mexico
Credit
Gift of Susan Garofola in memory of Lillian Kiker (mother), Heritage Center Collection
The Henry Boyd Neff Collection contains legal documents about Neff Taxi, as well as Neff Taxi service cards and correspondence. The majority of the collection consists of legal documents from the Pennsylvania Public Service Commission, which later became the Public Utility Commission. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission regulates transportation services, in addition to gas, water, electricity, and telephone services, for consumers in the state. The commission maintains licenses and fair rates and ensures proper insurance coverage for the taxicab companies.
Admin/Biographical History
Henry Boyd Neff was born in 1877, the son of Levi Neff and grandson of Samuel Neff. He started his Lancaster-based taxi business in the 1910s, although he first had a confectionary store on West James Street. Henry Neff and his wife, Emma, resided on East End Avenue (formerly Chester Avenue) in Lancaster city with their two children-Dorothy and Raymond. While their business was originally located on Penn Square, it moved to East Mifflin Street by 1950. Henry Neff ran the business until his death on May 16, 1959, at which time his daughter Dorothy took over. Dorothy Neff managed Neff Taxi through the mid-1970s, and she sold the business to Friendly Taxi in 1978.
