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tlineopen  British / Irish Sterling
tline3open  Jester Hallmark

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Author Topic:   Jester Hallmark
kendalja

Posts: 3
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 07-21-2004 05:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kendalja     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm a novice trying to identify a sterling spoon. Hallmarks in order are:

Maker: RP
City: Jester and Lion Passant
Date: f
Duty: not sure about the monarch

Jackson's book was essentially useless, but did suggest the city could be Arbroath.

The item is a 5" spoon with deep bowl.

Any help would be appreciated.

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PhilO

Posts: 166
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 07-22-2004 02:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for PhilO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The "jester" is presumably the leopard's head crowned for London. This was used until it was replaced by the leopard's head uncrowned in the assay year 1821/22 when, by chance, the letter f was in use. So it sounds like your spoon is one of the last to use that mark. RP is probably Richard Pearce although I have seen the initials attributed to other makers. As you have Jackson's I refer you to page 233 for the maker and page 60 for the other marks so that you can double-check. Note that the f for 1821 is very distinctive with fairly exaggerated serifs,

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kendalja

Posts: 3
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 07-23-2004 05:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kendalja     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
1. Philo, a sincere thank you for taking the time to try to help me.
2. I withdraw my comment about Jackson's. I am looking at the Pocket Guide, not the full volume.
3. You may well be correct in your identification. However, I can't convince myself that the City Mark is the crowned Lion for London. To me, it looks like a human head with hat having 3 drooping ice cream cones on top. I'd be a little surprised if it was actually a London mark. It looks very much like the Jester pictured in Jackson's Pocket Guide for Arbroath. The Maker's Mark is similar to that of R. Peaster, but with a dot rather than a "+" between the letters. Jackson's seems to say that Peaster worked in the 3rd quarter of the 18th century, so would 1821/2 fit?
4. Having browsed the Silver Forum a little, I see now that a photo is really required for identification. This presents some obstacles, but I will try to shoot closeups and find a place to get them posted.

Once again, Thank you.

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PhilO

Posts: 166
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 07-23-2004 05:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for PhilO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
No, Peaston will not fit an 1821 date and he was a specialist caster maker so was unlikely to have made a spoon. As you say, the R and P are separated by a cross on Peaston's mark. However Pearce's mark has a dot as you describe. Here are pictures of the early 1821 mark with Pearce's maker's mark for you to compare with yours.

You must of course remember that after 180 years of polishing the fine details of the hallmarks are often worn away, leaving a distorted image of the original.

Apologies for assuming that you had the full Jackson's. I had forgotten that the pocket version gives Scottish provincial marks too.

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kendalja

Posts: 3
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 07-23-2004 11:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kendalja     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Sigh, more mistakes by me. You named Pearce, not Peaston - leopards' head crowned, not crowned lion.

As a friend of mine is fond of saying, "I'm slow, but I am inaccurate."

Spot on, Philo. Your image matches my hallmarks. Now, is this really a leopard's head crowned / London City Mark? Pearce was a London Maker?

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