Gorham (?) brush set marks

[outwest]

What a terrific site this is!
This forum has really asked a lot of my digital camera with these tiny marks, but I did it!

I have more than two photos because I am asking about the set and each has it's own mark. Because of that I was afraid of posting them all directly as images so I just did two. The rest I put as https. Thanks in advance!

I have the following brush set. I believe it is Gorham and I read the Gorham dating info, but I have some more questions and would like a confirmation of my date suspicion, if possible.
Here is the whole set:



And here is the mark form the edge of the shoebrush (it is a shoebrush isn't it? Or is it a clothes brush?). There is a little 'C' stamped there underneath the 9 and the 8 (what are the 9 and the 8?).
The Gorham marks with sterling are on the opposite edge of the shoebrush. Is that C the date mark? Is this set from 1870?



Here is the pattern. Does it have a name?:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b17/o ... irror1.jpg

Here are the marks on the mirror. The 3 Gorham stamps (lion, anchor and G) are barely seen as shadows above the numbers. What are the numbers and sideways 8 underneath the 8 and the 5? And what is that upsidedown triangle in front of the numbers?
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b17/o ... rmark1.jpg

Here is the brush mark:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b17/o ... hmark1.jpg

Here are 2 pictures of the marks on the little box. One from each edge. What is the mark that looks a bit like a lion head? It looks like it could be a mark, but then again maybe it is like seeing an image in a cloud and is really just a messup.:
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b17/o ... xmark1.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b17/o ... xmark2.jpg


So many questions I have. Although there seems to be a lot of info on Gorham on the web, there aren't answers to my questions that I can find. I hope no one minds me picking their brains.

[outwest]

Does anyone know if that C is a date mark?

[silvercrown]

"C" is the Gorham date mark for 1870.

Silvercrown

[admin]

Although Gorham used the letters A-Q as its date indicators from 1868 to 1884, and C was used in 1870, Gorham later used letters of the alphabet as other indicators, such as gauge or parts of style and order numbers. This does make it confusing for collectors, but it was never Gorham's intention to make life simple for antiquers of the future, they had their own contemporary uses for all of these codes.
The "C" on your lovely set is not a date letter, the style dates it to the 1890's or early 1900's.
Regards, Tom

[silvercrown]

Mea Culpa

Silvercrown

[outwest]

Thanks. I finally found out that the actual date is that sideways hourglass. I was thinking it was an 8, but it is actually, I believe, the date mark and not a number at all! That would make it 1893 which fits right in with it's style and your timeframe.

[norfish]

this was either a clothes or a hat brush. People didn't wash their clothes after each wearing, but did have a maid brush and air them. Norfish