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| Pair of Hallmarked London Sterling Silver Shakers |
Could You Have a Valuable Piece of British Sterling Silver?
Could it be possible that you have a valuable and misattributed piece of silver at home? Most likely, you have some pieces of silver that are inherited and along with
the silver came
a story about its origin. These stories are the curse of the appraisal
profession. True, these stories
add interest to the objects, but quite often they prove to be untrue. Often, an
appraiser must
deliver the sad news that a piece is not as fine, valuable or old as family
legend purports. The story usually unfolds with being handed a silverplate tray
that is marked with pseudo hallmarks. It has been passed down as a fine piece
of British sterling silver. But sometimes the story will prove to be true, or
even better, the piece will prove to be finer and more
valuable than you thought. By learning a few tips of the trade, you can
discover when and where
your silver was made, and who made it. Plus, you might discover a valuable
piece of British silver at an estate or tag sale. These items are often
overlooked because of the way they are marked and where they are marked. (The pair
of Hallmarked London sterling silver shakers pictured above could have easily
been passed off as silverplate since they are marked on the bottom edge rather
than the bottom of the piece) This blog post will concentrate on learning to
read British sterling silver hallmarks. Stay tuned….Future posts will cover
American silver marks and confusing pseudo marks.
The ABC'S of Hallmarks
There
is more to reading hallmarks on silver than knowing your abc's. Let’s begin
with a quick
background in why marking silver came about. Basically, hallmarks on silver
were a way to
assure the customer that the object he was purchasing had met standards of
purity enforced by law.
By 1238 in England, severe penalties were inflicted by the guild of the
Goldsmith's Hall upon
a craftsman whose pieces did not come up to the standard of 925 parts silver
per 1000. Remember pure silver is far too soft to be useful. Through a process
of trial and error, the ideal proportion of 925 parts pure silver to 75 parts
copper was discovered. This combination is still in use today. When you hear
the term “Sterling” silver, it means that the piece is 925 parts sterling to 75
parts copper.
What to Look For
You
may have a piece of silver with a group of marks that looks somewhat like this:
The Crown signifies the city of Sheffield, lion passant indicating sterling silver, Letter n of a style dating the piece to 1905 and a maker's mark for Walker & Hall.
Credit for the image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_hallmarks.jpg The original uploader was Mrs rockefeller at English
Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
In England, silver is marked with a walking left facing lion (often
referred to as the lion passant), which indicates sterling silver. This is the
first and most important mark to look for.
Lion Passant
Next, look for a mark representing the town where the piece was made.
Here are the most common ones:
- a crowned leopards head (pre 1820 London
silver)
 |
| Crowned Leopard |
- a leopards head (post 1820 London silver)
 |
| Leopard's Head |
- an anchor which represents Birmingham
 |
| Anchor |
- a crown which represents Sheffield
 |
| Crown |
- three wheat sheaves which represents Chester
 |
| Three Wheat Sheaves |
Date Letters
Next,
look for a date letter. British date marks range from A-Z. One letter
represents an entire year and then it changes the next year. Styles of the
letters change on average every twenty years as you make your way through the
alphabet. This is where a reference book comes in handy. I will list suggested
reference books and websites at the end…but first I want to unravel the mystery
of all these different date marks. Don’t be overwhelmed! Once you learn this
skill, it is easy and fun to discover the history of your British silver.
Go
to the section of your reference book or website for the town that is listed on
your piece. Let’s say a crown like the hallmark pictured at the beginning of
the article. Go to the section of the book for Sheffield. Look for a matching
date letter for you piece. Use a magnifying glass to see the mark clearly or
take a zoomed in photo with your phone. You will notice that the letters font,
capitalization and background or shield around the letter varies. Run your
finger down the line of date letters until you find a match. Referring back to
the hallmark pictured above. The date letter “N” pictured in that mark refers
to a date of 1905. One additional note…sometimes you will see an
additional mark of a King or Queens head. This is known as a duty mark. You
will only see this mark in certain years. The good news is that it makes
finding the date mark even easier.
Maker's Marks
Part of the mark on your piece may be a maker's mark. These look like a group of initials. They can require quite a bit of research to find an exact match. It can be worth your time to track down the maker since who made the piece can be directly related to the value of the object. A few of the most famous are Paul Storr, Hester Bateman and Charles Ashbee.
My Piece Isn't Marked
Another
question I hear is “I have a piece of silver, but it doesn’t have a mark?” The
mark may not be on the bottom of the piece. They can be a challenge to find.
Sometimes, a piece may be marked around the rim or around the edge base. If
your piece has a lid, pull the lid off and look underneath. Anything that is
detachable should bear the lion passant mark and the maker’s mark.
Suggested
Reference Books and Websites for British Hallmarks
Bradbury’s
Book of Hallmarks: a Guide to Marks of Origin on English, Scottish and Irish
Silver, Gold and Platinum and on Foreign Imported Silver by Frederick
Bradbury
Discovering
Hallmarks on English Silver by John Bly
Jackson’s
Hallmarks: English, Scottish, Irish Silver and Goldmarks from 1300 to the
Present Day
by Ian Pickford
