Please help me identify date mark on this Elkinton teapot

[ferdy]

Hi and thanks for any help you can give. I already know this piece is Elkington or Elkington, Mason & Co. thereof. I am trying to determine the date of the piece.

Any help is certainly most appreciated and I will thank anyone helps accordingly.

Ferdy

[Neruda]

The use of the crown in the top mark stopped in 1898.

The three E M &Co marks were in use from 1842 to 1864.

The bottom letter in the diamond is the date letter - and looks to belong to the cycle which started with a "k" in 1849 and ended with a "z" in 1864.

Your letter looks like either a v or a y, thus either 1860 or 1863.

[ferdy]

Thank you so very much for your quick reply.

I do hava a question however. I was under the impression that the date mark was the gothic? scripted? "m" mark. Is this not the case?

Thanks again and looking forward to your response.

Ferdy

[Neruda]

The E M &Co refers to the Elkington-Mason partnership in this period. In 1865 this mark became simply E &Co, also in "gothic" lettering.

The first series started in 1841 and consisted of the numbers 1 to 8 in a diamond.

Then in 1849 they changed to letters - starting with k - also in a diamond.

The sequence for 1865 to 1885 were again letters but in a squarish box, from 1886 to 1911 in a box with curved sides, from 1912 to 1936 in a sort of trefoil, from 1937 to 1960 in a shield, and 1961 to 1986 in a circle.

Best wishes,
Neruda