Suite of marks (sponsor mark, fineness mark, assay office mark, date mark)
You know the Britons, always so elaborate when it comes to traditions. British silverware and jewels can have a suite of marks, often commonly called a hallmark. From left to right:
1) G&S CO LTD. This is the sponsor's mark, essentially the maker's mark. G&S Co. Ltd. was the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co., one of the most upscale silverware and jewels makers. It was merged into Garrard & Co in 1952.
2) Lion passant: The left-facing lion passant mark is the sterling silver mark (925/1000 fineness) of ware made in England. This kind of mark is called a fineness or standard mark. It indicates the fineness of silver/ gold/ platinum of the item.
3) Leopard's head mark: This is the assay office mark. The leopard's head indicates this piece was tested and assayed at the London Assay office by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
4) h mark: This is a date (year) mark used in British silverware. Each letter, stylised differently each year, indicates the year that the piece was made. This particular stylised h indicates this silver table ornament was made in 1923.
www.silvercollection.eu/englishsilverhallmarks.html
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I bought this via eBay a few years ago. A sterling silver inkwell/ trinket box that was made to commemorate the 1924 British Empire Exhibition held in Wembley near London. The desk ornament was made by the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd. of 112 Regent Street, London W1.
The British Empire Exhibition wasn't nearly as successful or phenomenal as the 1851 Great Exhibition. Of course, by 1924, the British Empire was on its way down and out. While Great Britain did survive World War I (unlike the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire), its worldwide influence was rapidly being replaced by the United States.
In any case, those of you who are Downton Abbey fans might recall that Mr. (Septimus) Spratt, the ever so proper and uptight butler to Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, made reference to the British Empire Exhibition when he was carefully putting away his British Empire Exhibition commemorative postage stamps.
Suite of marks (sponsor mark, fineness mark, assay office mark, date mark)
You know the Britons, always so elaborate when it comes to traditions. British silverware and jewels can have a suite of marks, often commonly called a hallmark. From left to right:
1) G&S CO LTD. This is the sponsor's mark, essentially the maker's mark. G&S Co. Ltd. was the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co., one of the most upscale silverware and jewels makers. It was merged into Garrard & Co in 1952.
2) Lion passant: The left-facing lion passant mark is the sterling silver mark (925/1000 fineness) of ware made in England. This kind of mark is called a fineness or standard mark. It indicates the fineness of silver/ gold/ platinum of the item.
3) Leopard's head mark: This is the assay office mark. The leopard's head indicates this piece was tested and assayed at the London Assay office by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
4) h mark: This is a date (year) mark used in British silverware. Each letter, stylised differently each year, indicates the year that the piece was made. This particular stylised h indicates this silver table ornament was made in 1923.
www.silvercollection.eu/englishsilverhallmarks.html
xxxx
I bought this via eBay a few years ago. A sterling silver inkwell/ trinket box that was made to commemorate the 1924 British Empire Exhibition held in Wembley near London. The desk ornament was made by the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd. of 112 Regent Street, London W1.
The British Empire Exhibition wasn't nearly as successful or phenomenal as the 1851 Great Exhibition. Of course, by 1924, the British Empire was on its way down and out. While Great Britain did survive World War I (unlike the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire), its worldwide influence was rapidly being replaced by the United States.
In any case, those of you who are Downton Abbey fans might recall that Mr. (Septimus) Spratt, the ever so proper and uptight butler to Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, made reference to the British Empire Exhibition when he was carefully putting away his British Empire Exhibition commemorative postage stamps.