Postby Jazzman111 » Thu Sep 06, 2018 6:33 am
I started collecting silver folding fruit knives, both British and American, about a year ago. I quickly learned that, especially in the first half of the nineteenth century, it was quite routine for American silversmiths to use British hallmarks on their wares, including the lion rampant or a Queen Elizabeth "duty mark." One of the major producers of silverware, Albert Coles, was known to do this on a regular basis. The best that I've been able to determine is that they did this a) because, in the absence of international agreements in that era, they could with impunity; and b) the British hallmarks conveyed an impression of greater value to the products.