WMF Glass & Silver Plate Claret Jug, Circa 1900

WMF claret jug with silver plated top and handle.

WMFN mark in italics. The letter "N" is the sign for Neusilber (Alpacca), used as a base metal for silvering. This was used between around 1890 and 1903. The so-called "antler" mark, developed from the Wurtemberg Coat of Arms and used at around 1900 on nickel silver flatware. The fraction "I/O" means the normal thickness of silver deposited onto the surface of the base metal.

WMF is the abbreviation for Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, which in English means Wurtemberg Metalware Factory. WMF was created in 1880 after the successful merger of two Wurtemberg foundries. During the next thirty years it experienced a period of rapid expansion, which lasted until the beginning of the First World War.