Antique Chalice - "L.G" Mark - Plus 3 Other Marks

[tuvokage]

I received this as a gift for my upcoming ordination tot he priesthood and would like to find out more about it. I was told it might be from Gorham, but the marks don't exactly match those listed on this site. Any help you can provide would be great specifically: Is it Solid Sterling? What year is it from? Thanks for any help in advance!

All three photos can be seen here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0m9uf05kh0i0frj/AAC2t2sDq-2KcAt5HkOQZOgna#/

[silvermakersmarks]

Your chalice is Irish sterling silver. The marks show that it was assayed in Dublin in 1948 (date letter G). LG is a silversmith by the name of Larry Gunning.

Phil

[tuvokage]

Wow, that was amazingly fast. Would you say that it is solid Sterling and not plate? Thank you!

[dognose]

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

Larry Gunning passed away in September 2009 aged 92 years of age, his brother, Kerry, who was part of the same business, passed away just four months later.

Details of the forerunners of this important family of Dublin silversmiths can be found at: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=18350&p=73695&hilit=reynolds#p73695

Trev.

[silvermakersmarks]

It is solid sterling silver, as evidenced by the hallmark; the crowned harp is the Irish sterling silver fineness standard and the Hibernia (seated lady) mark is the mark of the Dublin Assay Office.

Phil

[scorpio]

It is solid sterling silver, as evidenced by the hallmark; the crowned harp is the Irish sterling silver fineness standard and the Hibernia (seated lady) mark is the mark of the Dublin Assay Office.

Phil

Hi Phil,

The Harp Crowned mark is both the fineness mark and Dublin town mark. The Hibernia mark was introduced after the 1729 Act of Parliament came into force on the 25th March 1730 and denotes duty was paid on the silver.

Gordon

[silvermakersmarks]

Thanks for the information, Gordon. However that is not the whole story. You are correct in saying that Hibernia was introduced as a duty mark, but in 1807 Ireland was brought into line with the rest of the UK by having the sovereign's head as a duty mark. Hibernia was retained, but from 1807 onwards it can be regarded as a mark peculiar to the Dublin Goldsmiths' Company and hence as the Dublin town mark [ref: Jackson, p621].

The current situation is summarised on the Dublin Assay Office web site: http://www.assay.ie/Symbols-Dates-Guide ... -Explained.

Phil

[dognose]

Hi All,

Both Gordon and Phil are absolutely correct. The reason, however, as to why silver assayed after 1807 in Ireland bears two Duty marks is down to confusion within the Commissioners of Excise, the collector of the Duty at that time, who at that date were apparently unaware of the origins of the Hibernia mark and made the assumption that the same format of marking existed in Ireland as that of England and Scotland, i.e. a standard mark and a town mark, and that the Hibernia mark represented the Dublin office.

See: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=17535

Trev.

[scorpio]

Great explanation Trev. I get confused myself at times, my apologies Phil. On its website, the Irish Antique Dealers Association (IADA) explains Irish hallmarks much as I said http://www.iada.ie/collecting-irish-silver/

In Irish Georgian Silver, Bennett describes the Harp Crowned as being the fineness mark and Dublin town mark, whereas in Collecting Irish Silver, he just refers to it as the fineness mark.

I have very few items of Dublin silver (although a rare piece is on the horizon) as my main interest is Irish Provincial silver.

Gordon

[dognose]

Apologies for veering further off topic, but this was not the first time that the Commissioners of Excise were confused over the meaning, and the ownership of the mark. In 1776, they thought it was their mark.

See: viewtopic.php?f=56&t=12625&p=36128#p36128

Trev.