london 1797 sugar tongs by francis stamp

[kojak]

Hi Folks,

From the information on this site I think I have been able to work out that these sugar tongs were made by Francis Stamp (F.S) in 1797 (B) in London (crown) , but what does the seond hallmark mean?

Thanks

Kenny

[2209patrick]

Hello.

Those are British silverplate marks.
The letters BP to the right stand for British Plate which means the base metal is a form of nickel silver.
The use of a crown on British silverplate in a cartouche was banned around 1897. So, your tongs date to before 1897.
The B likely stands for Birmingham.
Sorry, could not find who used your FS mark.

http://www.925-1000.com/british_marks.html

Pat.

[kojak]

Thanks Pat.

Very interesting and must appreciated.

Kenny