Confusion over Birmingham year marks on pocket watch

amunroe · Post by **amunroe** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:13 am

My grandfather's pocket watch has a Birmingham anchor mark, but the 'U' for the year has two different styles of border around it. The one inside the front cover of the watch is a rectangle with the corners chopped off, and the ones on the inside back cover and the inside of the mechanism cover are a shield shape. Neither of these seems to be consistent with anything in the lists I have checked. The closest I get is 1869, but the 'U' for that is supposed to be surrounded by an oval shape, not a shield or a rectangle. The watch has the serial number 19884 on both the face and the inside cover. I would very much appreciate some help with this.
Thanks, Ann

georgiansilver · Post by **georgiansilver** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:55 am

Your watch is Birmingham 1894-5..... Were it 1869 it would sport Queen Victorias head as a duty mark.... Best wishes, Mike.

amunroe · Post by **amunroe** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 5:12 pm

Mike, many thanks. We can now trace it to my great-grandfather instead of just my grandfather!
Ann