1727 chester unknown makers stamp

[smilingjoe]

we have a silver hand mirror, we have established the date being 1727, and that it was made in chester but we need help on the maker.....the stamp says "wn" or "wm"....please could anyone help us thanx for ure help

[2209patrick]

Since you're having trouble reading the second letter, I wonder if it might be an R. If so, could be the mark of William Richardson.

Pat.

[smilingjoe]

no its definately n or m, but thanx for ure help anyway.


anyone else got any ideas?

[Granmaa]

Would it be possible for you to post some pictures? Or, failing that, could you copy the hallmarks and then scan them?

Jackson's Silver and Gold Marks doesn't show any Chester silversmith with those initials, but The Compendium of Chester Gold & Silver Marks 1570 - 1962 by Ridgway, M H & Priestley P T should have the information. Someone here may have a copy.

Miles

[georgiansilver]

Strange to relate but Chester silver...no recorded hand mirrors until late Victorian times.....either you have an extremely rare item or you have dated it wrongly. Best wishes, Mike.

[Waylander]

Purely from experience, IMHO the "policy" of major makers shipping stuff to Chester to be assayed (to avoid delays elsewhere) did not start until much later, and Chester was still a provincial assay office in 1727. Hand mirrors, being a sign of some wealth, are indeed a mightly unusual piece for this time (as Mike says). Perhaps you could describe the hallmarks for us? What does the Assay town mark look like?

Regards

Waylander

[smilingjoe]

lol.......i new 2 this silver stuff...lol



assay mark?


ive sent image of marks 2 grandmaa as i dont know how 2 upload images on2 a site, hopefully she can then upload them 4 me, i would b grateful grandmaa.:)



mayb i have got the year wrong but we have checked it against this sites hallmarks selection and it certainly looks like 1727 but we could b wrong being new 2 this stuff, if we r sorry b4 hand.