Pre-war London hallmark...

[simonineaston]

Hi folks, first post here so may need some guidance...
My grandfather ran a metal-plating business and worked with a designer. He registered a hallmark, which as far as I remember incorporated his initials as well those of his colleague, in the form of a quadrant. His name was Lewis Tuck and the designer's, I think was George Ransome, so the four letters were L, T, G & R. I haven't seen the hallmark in decades and am simply going from memory - can anyone advise me on how or where to look it up and find out about more about this part of my family heritage?

[silvermakersmarks]

Your best course of action would be to contact the relevant Assay Office, all of which maintain historical records. You can find contact details on their web sites:

London: http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk
Birmingham: http://www.theassayoffice.co.uk
Sheffield: http://www.assayoffice.co.uk
Edinburgh: http://www.edinburghassayoffice.co.uk

We have a comprehensive published record of Chester-registered marks and your grandfather's mark does not appear there.

Phil

[buckler]

It is possible that the mark you recall may not have been a silver hallmark , but a registered trade mark . It's outside my period but I think platers were also required to register marks from the early 19th century to avoid them passing off plated goods as sterling .