Some marks on my chamberstick I am curious about...

[yelocrab]

Good Evening,
I have an old chamberstick that I inherited recently and I'd like to know more about it, hopefully from the kind denizens of this realm. Because of it's condition it was a late pick of mine from my Father's estate. Yesterday I began polishing the pieces of silver that I inherited because it was raining out and it seemed like a good time. There were a number of marks and what looked like some scribbling and even a profile etched onto the base. I have researched the maker to John Edwards III, roughly ca. 1808 but I am stumped by the other markings. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It appears the snuffer was used to stop a bullet or as a chew toy for a medium sized animal.

[Granmaa]

Often these numbers are the weight of the piece.
How much does it weigh?

Miles

[yelocrab]

I would guess taht 13.6 ounces is probably a very close approximation of the weight. One mystery, perhaps, solved. Any ideas on the silouette on the top of the base or the scribbling on the bottom center?

[Granmaa]

The silhouette is the family crest, but I think you would have a hard time tracing it because it is a common design.
The scribbling, I'm afraid, is a mystery to me.

Miles

[silverport]

Maybe the scratches are price indications?

Hello »yelocrab«

It seems to me that there is some similarity between yours case of scratch marks, and an other topic which was placed some days ago.

Please look here (scroll more or less down to the end):

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=22684

Well, in yours case the first group of ciphers ends with a »triangle«, the second ends with an »a«, and the third with an »e« as indication; of maybe a price? These indicators are maybe a secret there fore, that another person seeing these, don't understand immediately the signification of these "notices"?

But maybe these scratches remain a secret for ever?

Kind regards silverport

[StewartMcI]

For clarity this is clearly the "scratch weight" but 13 ,, 6 is not 13.6 (decimal) but 13 Troy ounces and 6 pennyweight, i.e. 6/20 ounces, and of course this would have been when first taken into inventory, and now presumably somewhat reduced by many years of assiduous polishing.

Stewart

[salmoned]

The scratches appear to be "12 Tare", which could represent the silver content of the item.