Is this a Britannia mark used prior to Duty Marks in 1794?

[vm6656]

I think this is a lion in profile used with Britannia? Can anyone confirm or shed any additional light on this I'd appreciate it. Thanks

[admin]

Hi VM,
Nope, as the British Hallmarks page shows, the Britannia mark is example "B".



British hallmarks come in sets, the rule of thumb is, if you do not have a complete set including:
Standard mark, city mark, date letter and maker's mark (+ a duty mark if 1785-1890), the item is either from another country or more often, as in this case, a piece of silverplate. If your lion in profile mark was on a piece of Britannia, it would be only in conjunction with the Britannia standard mark and the other required marks.
There are a few exceptions, such as on very small items or the odd piece of jewelry.
For comparison, here is an example of a proper set of British hallmarks,


you can see how different they are from the trademarks on your piece.
Regards, Tom

[vm6656]

Thanks Tom. I was referencing the letter B under duty marks from that same page. I thought it was possibly the same and it made reference to Britannia. I apologize if I confused the two :)

[admin]

VM,
No need to apologise, glad to have the opportunity to clarify. Lord knows the marks are confusing, which is why this forum exists.
Tom