bon bon dish..??

[willybobs73]

hello everybody and im sorry if i make any mistakes in this post as its 1st one......hi ive had this object for as long as i can remember and was wondering if it was a bon bon dish or a nut dish it is stamped with(m h in a clover like shape) martin hall & co...sheffield but dont understand letter h..???...it also is stamped on bottom by dickinson & co burnley...i have tried to figure out dates via information on website which is very detailed, my camera would not picture the stamps, ive understood how to assess the information stamped but any help would be much appreciated many thanx....

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6410/1002677.jpg

[MCB]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
From the number of members who have viewed your question without providing an answer it seems the image of the marks isn't sufficiently clear.
The stamp with the letter "h" is the date letter. There were various styles of both lettering and outline. At present it isn't possible to see which.
The usual style of mark used by Martin Hall & Co was MH & Co in a shield. Martin Hall & Co Ltd used MH & CO LD in a four leaf clover outline which rather looks the case here. As far as I can establish they didn't use just MH but someone else may be able to tell you if such a stamp has been properly attributed to this manufacturer.
It would help to give a more certain reply if you could send another image concentrating on clarity for the various marks.
The dimensions of a dish can have a bearing on what it was intended to be used for. Larger dishes could, for instance, be intended for fruit and smaller ones for nuts or bon-bons (such small dishes, even with pierced rims, have been called both). Unfortunately the dimensions of your dish aren't clear.
As to the Dickenson & Co Burnley stamp this is probably the retailer's mark.

Mike

[willybobs73]

hi mike and many thanx for spending time to answer my post i have figured out my camera and have uploaded more images many thanx again

[MCB]

Although the hallmarks are worn and it is the lower part which would positively identify the shape surrounding the date letter it seems clear from the type of letter and the absence of duty marks that the dish would have been put to assay in 1925-6.
The MH & CO LD mark is the one used by Martin Hall & Co Ltd.

Mike