Confusing marks on G Loveridge & Co brooch

[ljsilver]

Hi,

I have a brooch with some confusing marks and I wondered if anyone could shed some light. I have been told that it is George Loveridge and Co dated 1908. The manufacturer's mark seems right (G.L & Co), and the Birmingham assay office mark would fit this, but I can't make any sense of the date. Checking online and in a book I have, the date letter and the enclosure around it don't seem to match up. It looks like a lower case i which would match 1908 but the font style on the letter i looks more like the one from 1883. My book suggest the 1883 should have a round enclosure and the 1908 mark should be square with a serrated bottom, but the mark on the brooch is a simple square enclosure like the ones used around 1897.

I have added some pictures, but the brooch is quite small, so I hope they are clear enough.






Any ideas or advice would be much appreciated as I am quite new to this.

[silvermakersmarks]

You were right to doubt the date which you were given. This is almost certainly the "i" of 1883. I say "almost certainly" because I have just a little doubt about the punch shape not being the normal oval shape seen in 1883 and wonder if the date letter is the "t" of 1893. However I suspect that the cut-corner rectangle is a normal variant. You will notice that the Birmingham anchor is on its side; this was the normal orientation for 1860-1899. For 1908 the anchor is upright.

Phil

[silvermakersmarks]

A quick addition to my previous reply: I have now seen another 1883 "i" in a cut-corner rectangular punch so I am completely happy with the date.

[AG2012]

I have now seen another 1883 "i" in a cut-corner rectangular punch

This is an important find; even official Birmingham assay office does not mention this anomaly, if I am allowed to call it an anomaly. Every date letter of this form (font) starting with ``a`` for 1875 and ending with ``u`` are within an oval, with the exception for ``q`` for 1890. After that, letters v, w x, y and z are within a cut-corner rectangle.
https://theassayoffice.co.uk/hallmark-i ... te-letters
I wonder if there was good reason for this inconsistency.
Kindest regards

[silvermakersmarks]

The Birmingham Assay Office's table of date letters is not complete in the range of punches used. Certainly from 1889 (p) to 1893 (t) both oval and cut-corner rectangular punches were in use. The pixellation in the images makes me suspect that they are reproduced from a book and are not the original (and therefore definitive) work of the BAO.

It may, or may not, be a coincidence that both of the 1883 (i) rectangular punches are in hallmarks without a duty mark. Occasional omission of the duty mark prior to 1889 has been noted before but I have not thought to notice the accompanying punch shape. The second hallmark to which I refer is in a current on-line auction so I am unable to reproduce the relevant image or point to its location.

Phil

[silvermakersmarks]

The results of further research: I can confirm that from 1882 (h) to 1888 (o) date letters appear in both oval and cut-corner rectangular punches and in all of the rectangular punch examples which I have found the duty mark is missing. I can't find an 1881 mark but I have seen one 1880 (f) rectangular punch with a duty mark. I will continue my research...

[ljsilver]

Thank you very much for all the info Phil. I really appreciate all your research and would be interested to hear if you uncover any more on this.

[KMidgette]

Phil, I ran across this interesting thread while researching the G. L & C. S mark on my Pewter Tea Set. I do recognize this website and forum is dedicated to the understanding of Silver, rather than Pewter marks; however, all the research I have done on my makers mark leads back to G. Loveridge & Co. yet I can't seem to find my pewter tea set. I would love to know more about the history. You seem an expert on this maker's mark. In my research, I have run across the G. L & Co. (with the "o" raised and a dash below), but never with the S. appended, and the "L" in my mark as the flat bottom, rather than a raised lower corner, nor applied to pewter pieces. Of course being pewter, there are no Assay office marks, but rather that is a stamp of a woman in dress and hat, and the words "My Lady" with "English Pewter" below. Please forgive me and delete my post if I have violated forum rules by asking about pewter, or by appending a question about a different makers mark to an existing thread about a brooch. (I can't figure out how to add my 2 images here, so imagine I should be starting this as a new thread?)

[KMidgette]

I searched further on the forum and found the process to host images on a 3rd party site and embed link here, so here are my two pictures.


thank you for any assistance!

[KMidgette]

Oh my, I guess that was a bust too! Can I get an "A" for effort? I can see that "preview" button is key!

[dognose]

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

Yes, please start a new topic with images of at least the mark. We are happy to answer questions on pewter marks, if we can, and in this case, I have an answer for you ready. Please post your question in the silver plated section of the forum.

The below should help you:

How to Add Images

Posting Requirements

https://postimages.org (choose 'Share', then copy the 'Hotlink for forums' code) is recommended. Do not use Photobucket or Dropbox.

Ensure your images are embedded. Do not post links. Remember to use the 'Preview' button before submitting your post.

For more information see:

http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 82#p103282

Give some time to creating your posts and we'll give some time to researching and answering them.

Trev.