Scottish Provincial Towns - Order of rarity?

[bstaunto]

Hi team,

I did once see a list on a forum (maybe this one?!) that presented a suggested order for the rarity of Scottish Provincial Silver.

Is there a generally accepted list somewhere?

Or is there one of our members who would be happy to share theirs?

Thanks,

Ben

[juantotree]

Hi,

According to Richard Turner's "A Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths & Their Marks" the scarcity is rated below. However I don't know how definitive this list is. What I do know is, that you will certainly find a lot more silver items with a Glasgow assay mark than you would with a Perth mark for example.

Scarce: Aberdeen, Dumfries, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth

Rare: Arbroath, Ballater, Banff, Canongate, Elgin, Greenock, Iona, Montrose, Paisley

Very Rare: Cupar, Ellon, Fochabers, Forres, Keith, Nairn, Peterhead, St. Andrews, Stonehaven, Tain, Wick

Martin

[bstaunto]

Thanks Martin!

[justin]

I suspect Turner is referring to Glasgow silver that predates the assay office there, which wasn't opened until 1819.

Justin