Tea caddy, storage 

Excellent condition, a slight dent from inside out, see photo attached and various scratches. Very good condition, considering the age. 

Initials on the lid of tea caddy - Those are quite ornate, but looking closely at the shapes and how the flourishes resolve, they most likely read as “E B”.

    •    The right-hand letter has a clear vertical spine with two rounded lobes—typical of a decorative B.

    •    The left-hand letter is more stylized, but the looping top and lower curve suggest a script E (common in engraved monograms of that period).

This style is typical of engraved silver or plated items where initials are embellished with scrollwork, so the letters can look more abstract than modern fonts.

What you have there is silver plate, not solid silver, made by:

    •    William Hutton & Sons Ltd.

    •    The mark “CROSS ARROWS” is one of their registered trademarks

    •    “HARD SOLDERED” refers to a more durable construction method

    •    The number 17743 is a pattern or catalogue number, not a date Date & origin

William Hutton & Sons Ltd was based in Birmingham, England, and this style of mark typically dates to the Early 20th century (roughly 1902-1930s).

The engraved initials you showed earlier (likely “E B”) were almost certainly added later by the original owner—this was very common for:

    •    wedding gifts

    •    presentation pieces

    •    household silverware