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A Tricky Mark

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Author	Topic: A Tricky Mark
Brent Posts: 1507 Registered: May 99	posted 08-11-2004 03:32 PM Here are set of marks that I, at least, found difficult to pin down. They appear on a fiddle pattern stuffing spoon. I did figure them out finally, but I thought it would be a good exercise. Who knows these marks (quiet for the moment, moderators, and others who know it off the top of their heads). Brent IP: Logged
PhilO Posts: 166 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 08-13-2004 02:24 AM What, no takers? If you know, of course, it's easy. As a teaser, the date is 1818. IP: Logged
Brent Posts: 1507 Registered: May 99	posted 08-13-2004 10:09 PM Hi, As Phil says, what, no takers? Here is a hint; there is one mark that could be on this piece but isn't, and if it were there the answer would be much easier. I'll give you all a couple more days:-) Brent IP: Logged
nihontochicken Posts: 289 Registered: May 2003	posted 08-13-2004 11:06 PM Okay, I'll bite. Seems straightforward for Jame Barber and William Whitwell. The "missing" mark would be for York. Too easy, what am I missing? IP: Logged
clive.e.taylor unregistered	posted 08-14-2004 09:39 AM I'll bite as well. It certainly looks like James Barber & William Whitwell, it looks like a provincial Lion Passant, the Duty Mark looks feasible for York and the absence of Town mark not unusual for York. Dates of the partnership,who certainly made flatware, appears to be c1814 - c1823 so this fits the style of spoon and the Duty mark and the clue of 1818. My problem is the date letter, which if 1818 is given in Jackson(Pickford) as a lower case "g". But the lowest mark seems to be something else, perhaps an overstrike . I cannot find another assay office they may have used although Newcastle or Chester seemed possible but the dateletters do not tie in at all . I await the denouement with interest. Nice puzzle Mr Brent IP: Logged
Brent Posts: 1507 Registered: May 99	posted 08-15-2004 11:20 AM Hello all, Well, you have it pegged. It is indeed York, 1818-19, by James Barber & William Whitwell. The picture isn't all that clear, unfortunately, but the date letter is clear and not an overstrike. Jackson notes some variation in the date letters for York silver around this time, so it is not inconceivable that the mark might not conform exactly to the published one. This set of marks had me fooled for a while, largely because: The marks are so crude and uneven, especially the leopard's head and the duty mark. They actually look more like colonial pseudomarks than official English hallmarks. This is the first piece of York silver I have encountered. Although I did know that the Newcastle assay office used a crowned leopard's head in addition to its town mark, I did not know that York did as well. When the town mark is omitted, it looks superficially like a set of London marks. Also, the index in Jackson managed to omit the JB/WW mark, although it is presented in the York assay office mark table. So, I started thinking it might be Canadian or from some other colony. It was only after going through Jackson page by page that I finally found it. Anyway, I learned something from digging this out! Brent IP: Logged

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