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Hi,

I have been puzzled by this fish slice for some time. It is hallmarked in London 1801 and the maker is George Nagle. What surprises me is that the handle is marked the same year but the maker is Moses Brent.

As I understand it seems that these two makers has made cooperation where the other one has made the fish slice and the other one the handle to be incorporated with the slice. I don't believe that these two parts would have been incorporated some time later and would not originally have been together as they are marked the same year and the style seems correct.

What my question is that are there some study or knowledge of these kind of cooperation between the makers in the 18th/19th century. Typically as I understand when there where couple of more makers who wanted to make cooperation they worked in the same smithy/shop and they had a one single mark with their initials. Then there was of course the journeymen but it is a different story. I at least have not seen before these kind of markings on silver from the turn of the 18th/19th century.

Regards,
Juke

Hi Juke,

Moses Brent was a specialist haft-maker, wouldn't this be more likely to be just a case of Nangle buying in a ready made product for convenience?

Regards Trev.

Hi!

Yes, it sounds of course the likely case. This was new to me that there were already in that time makers who made only parts for silver objects. I can understand that as Brent was a specialist haft-maker, he could more efficiently make them and therefore could sell his haft's to other makers. It was his way of getting a living. I have not stumble to this question before so there came the interest. It is intresting on the part that this happend already way long before the industrialization.

Regards,
Juke