Hi team,
I did once see a list on a forum (maybe this one?!) that presented a suggested order for the rarity of Scottish Provincial Silver.
Is there a generally accepted list somewhere?
Or is there one of our members who would be happy to share theirs?
Thanks,
Ben
Scottish Provincial Towns - Order of rarity?
-
- contributor
- Posts: 385
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:17 pm
Re: Scottish Provincial Towns - Order of rarity?
Hi,
According to Richard Turner's "A Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths & Their Marks" the scarcity is rated below. However I don't know how definitive this list is. What I do know is, that you will certainly find a lot more silver items with a Glasgow assay mark than you would with a Perth mark for example.
Scarce: Aberdeen, Dumfries, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth
Rare: Arbroath, Ballater, Banff, Canongate, Elgin, Greenock, Iona, Montrose, Paisley
Very Rare: Cupar, Ellon, Fochabers, Forres, Keith, Nairn, Peterhead, St. Andrews, Stonehaven, Tain, Wick
Martin
According to Richard Turner's "A Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths & Their Marks" the scarcity is rated below. However I don't know how definitive this list is. What I do know is, that you will certainly find a lot more silver items with a Glasgow assay mark than you would with a Perth mark for example.
Scarce: Aberdeen, Dumfries, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth
Rare: Arbroath, Ballater, Banff, Canongate, Elgin, Greenock, Iona, Montrose, Paisley
Very Rare: Cupar, Ellon, Fochabers, Forres, Keith, Nairn, Peterhead, St. Andrews, Stonehaven, Tain, Wick
Martin
Re: Scottish Provincial Towns - Order of rarity?
Thanks Martin!
Re: Scottish Provincial Towns - Order of rarity?
I suspect Turner is referring to Glasgow silver that predates the assay office there, which wasn't opened until 1819.
Justin
Justin