www.925-1000.com

Apart from the weight of items failing assay it is the number of failures and the time over which they occurred which is puzzling. R B Symons for example registered his mark in 1765 and between then and 1772, the end of the detail above, managed to fail the assay 12 times. A new boy might make a cou...

Hello and welcome to the forum. This firm regularly registered punches with other Assay Offices and some of these didn't have the marks under the "S" and the "D". Oddly, as it was a Sheffield company, these minor changes don't seem to have been registered there prior to the assay...

Hello Peter,

Welcome to the forum.
A W Staniforth registered this mark with the Sheffield Assay Office in June 1890.

Mike

Hello, The date letter certainly looks like the one for 1753-4 but Sudell didn't start his apprenticeship until 1758 according to page 673 of Grimwade's book on London smiths. Sudell isn't likely to have put the jug to assay. The image of the mark is a little difficult to make out and, at first sigh...

An Ella Prudence Eyre appears on the UK 1871 Census living at a very desirable address 3, Hanover Square, London with her parents. She was born in 1864. Her father Henry, born 1827, was described as a Dealer in Art Work which is maybe how he came to have the jug. She married Sydney Christopherson in...

For identification of the Apostle see
http://www.925-1000.com/silverglossary.html

For a review of the JM mark see
http://incorporationofgoldsmiths.co.uk
Mike
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Hello Miles,

"MS & B" doesn't appear to have been registered with the Assay Office.
See http://incorporationofgoldsmiths.co.uk
Hope someone can at least let you know the pattern of the spoon.

Regards,
Mike
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As Stewart says the date letter looks like the lower case gothic "f" used by London Assay Office for 1920-1. That being so and Crichton describing himself as a designer, late silversmith, in a petition of 1899 for discharge from bankruptcy (John Culme's book on London smiths) a 1920's item...

It is telling that in a report to Parliament of 1856 by no less than the Board of Inland Revenue's Inspector General of Stamps and Taxes of a visit he made in person to the Newcastle Assay Office he concluded that there was no supervision of the Assay Master and consequently no safeguard against irr...

HUGH CONNELL & SONS

142, Queen Street, Brisbane.


Hugh Connell & Sons - Brisbane -

Hello Clare,
Welcome to the forum.
The mark shown on the site's London index for William Hunter was actually registered in 1884 but there had previously been the same marks registered under that name from much earlier so you had the right man for the jug.
Mike
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Hello Tom,

At such a weight it's some cocktail mixer! Is it for producing large quantities at one go (or for dealing with really strong drink)?

Very interested in how you know!

Shaken but not stirred.
Mike
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Hello Gary,

Would you let us know the outcome of your approach to the Assay Office please? Information on modern sponsor's marks is less widely available than for the older ones.

Mike
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National Museum of Wales Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NP Open Tuesday-Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays 10am-5pm Free Entry Hundreds of pieces of silver ranging from a 14th century acorn top spoon with one of the earliest English hallmarks through Paul Storr to Elkingtons. Part of the collection was pre...

Hello and welcome to the Forum. John Sutter gave the following addresses when registering as a silversmith at the Chester Assay Office: 1839 29 Standish Street 1843 8 Fleet Street 1857-60 12 Williamson Street 1868-74 College Lane All addresses were in Liverpool. No address is known for him in Edinbu...

Hello Trev, Thomas Thomason appears to have been born in Birmingham in 1813. He's on the UK 1861 Census and said he was an "Ecclesiastical Furniture Maker in Silver, Brass and Iron". The Birmingham AO web site doesn't record a mark for him prior to 1858 (as you know the last year for which...

Hello Simon,
The mark on the watch is confirmed as the one used by R H Jones active 1851-1906.
The buckle was put to London assay by E J Pearson & Sons of Manchester Square London. The mark used here was registered in 1909 so the assay date letter "n" is the one for 1928-9.
Mike

Hello Trev, The Sheffield Assay Office register shows all but James Almond, Beldon Hoyland & Co, Daniel Bradbury, Abraham Cosins, William Green & Co, Joseph Hancock, Thomas Hufton and Joseph Salthouse entered a mark. Doliff Rollisson left it until 1790. Beldon Hoyland & Co may be success...

Hello and welcome to the forum. The maker's mark JG LTD wasn't registered with the Birmingham Assay Office by J Gloster Ltd until around 1909. The absence of the sovereign's head as a duty mark is indicative of an item assayed after 1890 when the duty ended. The date letter B is therefore most likel...

Hello again!
Having just moved on to the next Forum post surprise surprise there's (another?) Hawksley mentioned under the heading Sheffield Silver workers 1787!
Mike
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