How to Read Markings on Sterling Silver Tea Sets

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THE WHAT IS? SILVER DICTIONARY

HOW TO READ ENGLISH / BRITISH STERLING SILVER MARKS THE UK SYSTEM OF HALLMARKS From the end of the 12th century the craft of silversmith has been regulated in conformity with Purple Ordinances and Acts of the Parliament. In England the craft was regulated by the Guild of Goldsmiths at London and in Ireland by the Lodge of Dublin. In Scotland the craft was theoretically supervised by the Edinburgh Goldsmiths' Incorporation, only in do its influence outside the capital was limited and a plethora di unofficial Scottish Provincial marks was created. HOW TO READ, DECRYPT AND IDENTIFY THE MARKS ON ENGLISH SILVERPLATE AND ELECTROPLATED Silverish

MARK OF ORIGIN - TOWN MARK

Identifies the Analysis Office where the silver item was verified.
London origin is identified by the use of the leopard'south caput, crowned and uncrowned from 1821. In reality the leopard'southward caput was a standard marker and its use applied to all goldsmiths throughout the land. It was not until 1856 that the leopard's head mark could have been used for any purpose other than a fineness mark.
Birmingham has the ballast, Chester the three wheat-sheaves and sword, Sheffield the crown and the Tudor rose (from 1975).
York has a five lions passant in a cross, Exeter a castle with three towers and Newcastle-upon-Tyne three castles.
In Scotland, Edinburgh has the castle and Glasgow the "tree, fish and bell".
In Republic of ireland, Dublin origin is deduced by the presence of the figure of the crowned harp and Hibernia.

London leopard's head crowned (until 1820)	London leopard'southward caput uncrowned (1821-present)	London (1696-1719) lion caput erased	Birmingham anchor (1773-present)
Birmingham bicentennial commemorative (1973)	Sheffield crown (1773-1975)	Sheffield Tudor rose (1975-present)	Chester a sword erect between three wheat-sheaves (1784-1962)
Exeter a castle with three towers (1701-1856)	Newcastle-upon-Tyne three castles (c.1658-1883)	York five lions passant on a cross (c. 1710-1856)	Edinburgh castle (1483-present)
			.
Glasgow tree, fish and bell (1681-1963)	Dublin crowned harp marking (until 1806)	Dublin Hibernia (1807-present)	.

STANDARD MARK

Since the 14th century the standard for silver in England was set at xi ounces and two pennyweights in the Troy pound (925 parts in 1000), it was related to coin and as far every bit wrought plate was concerned it had to be as adept equally money. The Statute 28 Ewd. Cap. XX which introduced this standard reads equally follows: "It is ordained, that no Goldsmith of England, nor none otherwhere within the King'southward Dominions, shall from henceforth....... work worse silvery than coin".
The 925/chiliad (sterling) silvery fineness is certified in London and other British Analysis Offices past the use of the "lion passant" marking.
For a short menstruum (1696-1720) the standard was elevated to 958.iv/m and the "Britannia" marker replaced the "panthera leo passant".
Unlike standard marks are used in Scotland ("thistle" in Edinburgh and "lion rampant" in Glasgow and, later, Edinburgh) and in Republic of ireland ("crowned harp" in Dublin).

DATE Letter

A appointment letter first appeared on English language silvery plate in the year 1697 as a result of legislation. In clause VIII of the Human activity 8 & 9 William III c.8 which, among other things, deals with the marks that must be applied to assayed plate at Goldsmiths' Hall the post-obit diction is used: " .... and a distinct variable marking to be used by the warden of the said mystery, to denote the twelvemonth in which such plate is made;..." This legislation remained in place until 1999 in which year the Government adopted European hallmarking practise which does not require that an assayed item of plate must be dated.
Serial of alphabetical messages were chosen to bespeak the yr of assaying (appointment letter) using "cycles of letters" of dissimilar font and size inside punches of diverse shapes.
Whatever Analysis Office adopted its own wheel of date messages and so that only from the 1975 the four surviving Assay Offices utilize a uniform system of dating (optional from 1999).

These are the links to the engagement letters tables of primary Analysis Offices:

London Birmingham Sheffield

Chester Dublin Edinburgh Glasgow

London Assay Role Letters, as illustrated in "Hall Marks of Gold and Silvery Plate", past William Chaffers, Tenth Edition, London 1922

MAKER'Due south Mark

In early times the maker's mark was constituted by a symbol but from the 15th century the mark was formed by silversmith's proper name and surname initials.
Only for a brusk menstruum (1696-1719) the maker's mark was formed with the starting time two letters of silversmith'south surname.
Various fonts, sizes and outlines were adopted to differentiate the marks of silversmiths having the same initials.

LIST OF MAKER'Due south MARKS

ILLUSTRATED Choice OF MAKER'S MARKS

LIST OF NAMES

DUTY Marking

The Sovereign's Caput demonstrates the payment of the duty on the piece bearing information technology. It was introduced in 1784 and lasted until 1890. In Glasgow the Sovereign'southward Head was introduced in 1819 while, from 1798, watchcases were exempted from the fee.
From July 15 1797, for nine months, the King'due south Head was duplicated owing to the Duty being doubled.
The "Duty Drawback" mark was used from December 1, 1784 to July 24, 1785 to claim back the duty when the item was exported.
A special duty mark (Hibernia) was used in Dublin from 1730 to 1806.
"Duty dodger" is the definition of unscrupulous silversmiths that used fraudulent methods to avert paying the tax (e.one thousand. inserting into a large slice a small disk bearing marks from an commodity on which a depression revenue enhancement had been paid).

1784 (LON)	1787 (LON)	1795 (LON)	1797 (LON)	1804 (LON)	1812 (DUB)	1818 (EDI)	1818 (LON)

1822 (SHE)	1823 (LON)	1824 (BIR)	1825 (DUB)	1826 (LON)	1829 (DUB)	1832 (EDI)

1833 (GLA)	1835 (EDI)	1835 (LON)	1838 (LON)	1854 (LON)	1862 (BIR)	1871 (LON)	1871 (SHE)

COMMEMORATIVE MARKS

Special temporary hallmarks are adopted to commemorate special events and anniversaries.
British Assay Offices used commemorative marks in 1935 (Argent Jubilee of King George 5), 1953 (Coronation of Queen Elizabeth Two), 1977 (Silverish Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth Two), 2000 (Millennium Mark), 2002 (Gold Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II) and 2012 (Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II).

IMPORT MARKS

The Custom Act of 1842 ordered that imported gold and silver couldn't exist sold in United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland and Republic of ireland unless it had been assayed at a British Role.
In 1867 the Foreign Marker was introduced calculation an "F" to the appropriate British hallmark.

Foreign mark on London 1880 hallmark, importer Gustave Guilaudet

In 1904 an Act of the Order of Council ordered that foreign silver had to exist marked with the decimal value:
.925 for Sterling Standard and .958 for Britannia Standard.
A special Assay Function mark was introduced to exist used in the improver to the annual appointment alphabetic character, while the "F" marking was omitted.

London 1904-1906	London 1906-1998 (oftentimes upside down)	Birmingham 1904-1998	Chester 1904-1962
Dublin 1904-1906	Dublin 1906-1998	Edinburgh 1904-1998	Glasgow 1904-1906
			.
Glasgow 1906-1964	Sheffield 1904-1906	Sheffield 1906-1998	.

JOURNEYMAN MARK
WORKMAN MARK

The discussion journeyman comes from the French word journ�e, which means a menstruum of i day.
It refers to the correct the journeyman had to obtain a reward for each day's work.
In origin he was "a homo who did not gain the freedom of the City and was therefore a 'not Freeman' but was free of a livery visitor and thus qualified to ply his trade could exercise so equally a 'journeyman' provided he was licensed by the corporation. Often he would go on to work for his old principal in the capacity of journeyman but he could, if he wished, become to another workshop and sometimes a silversmith would remain a journeyman for all of his working life" (courtesy David Mckinley/ASCAS).
The majority of silversmiths never actually registered their own mark. They were employed past large workshops of companies or were used every bit out-workers. The work they role or wholly produced was marked nether somebody else's name.
These workers on plate were frequently paid on a pro rata footing, the foreman counting upwardly their output each day and so that they could exist rewarded at the end of the week. The foreman besides could distinguish between each of his workers' wares so that poor workmanship could be traced to the source. Thus a organisation was devised where each member of staff had his own punch (journeyman or workman marker), sometimes cut with the initials, but more often cut with a minor symbol (a star, a leaf, a triangle, etc.) usually stamped next the maker'due south mark.

Spoons dated 1816 made by different workmen in Eley & Fearn workshop

CONTEMPORARY HALLMARKS

The British hallmarking system has been essentially modified in 1999.
Compulsory marks are the Analysis Office marking, the sponsor'southward or maker's marker (at least 2 messages inside a shield) and the Metal and fineness marking (purity in millesimal number).
The apply of the traditional fineness mark (lion passant, panthera leo rampant, Britannia) and date letter is maintained merely on a voluntary basis.

HOW TO READ STERLING Silverish HALLMARKS

The marks of electroplated silver were often inspired to the hallmarking used for sterling silver.
The purpose of these marks hid the unacknowledged goal of confusing the customer about the nature of the metal alloy.

silverplate

sterling silver

The marker higher up is a merchandise marking on a mid-19th century silverplate slice manufactured past Evans & Matthews of Birmingham, while the 1 below is on a sterling argent piece hallmarked by Sheffield Assay Office in 1850, maker Martin Bros & Co.
These ii marks are very like: both have a "crown" and a set of alphabetical symbols to correspond maker and appointment, just the fundamental difference is that the standard marking (panthera leo passant) is missing on Evans & Matthews trademark as its utilise on metal unlike from sterling silver or on silver having silvery fineness below 925/k is severely punished in the Great britain. Actually also the "crown" on silverplate was forbidden, but until 1895 c. its use was tolerated by Sheffield Assay Office.

(one) journeyman marking
(2) maker's mark (William Chawner)
(three) standard mark (lion passant 925/1000 purity)
(4) town mark (leopard's head London)
(five) date alphabetic character (1825)
(6) duty mark (sovereign head George Four)

I am indebted to David McKinley/ASCAS for many of the information contained in this page

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