|
|
In this Forum we discuss the silver of the United Kingdom, as well as British Colonial silver and Old Sheffield Plate. Past British - Irish Sterling topics/threads worth a look. |
|
|
| How to Post Photos | Want to be a Moderator? |
|
|
In this Forum we discuss the silver of the United Kingdom, as well as British Colonial silver and Old Sheffield Plate. Past British - Irish Sterling topics/threads worth a look. |
|
|
| How to Post Photos | Want to be a Moderator? |
|
 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 British / Irish Sterling
 Explaining UK Marks
|
 SSFFriend: Email This Page to Someone! |
next newest topic | next oldest topic |
| Author | Topic: Explaining UK Marks |
|
chicagosilver Posts: 227 |
posted 06-16-2006 10:07 PM
  
The marks below are from a Crichton & Co tray. While we're fairly familiar with US marks and a few common UK marks, these stumped us. Is the middle one a Britannia (95.84%) purity mark? The "n" is certainly the date, but what is the leftmost object? Thanks very much. IP: Logged |
|
hello Posts: 200 |
posted 06-16-2006 10:31 PM
The lion mark replaced the lion passant, and in heraldic terms is known as lion' head erased (shoulders down), and the leapord's head is replaced by the Britannia figure. Untill the reign of Charles II, the silver coin of the realm was hand made and stamped. However, by the time of the Restoration the practice of "clippin" was rife. Clipping involved paring a minute piece of silver from the edge of coins until a sizeable hoard of silver was amassed, which could be forged into home made coinage, or (since the offence was punishable by death) the stolen silver clippings were sometimes sold to a silversmith. It was made law to use Britannnia silver in 1697, but sterling (and it's marks) were reinstated in 1720 because it was much cheaper to produce (many smaller silversmiths went out of business because of the higher cost). It is still a legal option today, though is not in common use. Source: IP: Logged |
|
Patrick Street Posts: 24 |
posted 06-17-2006 08:07 AM
The letters LAC are the maker's mark for Lionel Alfred Crichton who established a business as dealers in antique silver and retail silversmiths in Kensington, London. The mark was first entered in 1895 and subsequent marks similar in design entered until 1912. The firm remained in business until closing in the 1950s. The date letter "n" is similar to the London date letter for 1928/9. Therefore the piece would be of the Britannia standard (95.84% minimum silver content). It is unusual to find a Britannia standard piece from such a modern era. Ian Pickford in his Pocket Edition of Jackson's Hallmarks states at p14 that "little Britannia standard will be found between about 1735 and the end of the 19C." The fact that Crichton were retailers of usually fine reproductions of early pieces might explain why the Britannia standard was used on this piece. IP: Logged |
|
agleopar Posts: 850 |
posted 06-19-2006 10:55 PM
Currently in London smiths will use the Britannia standard for special projects such as very deep chasing, difficult raisings and I know one smith who is forging large spoons.The Britannia is just a little bit softer and makes difficult work a touch easier and in the case of chasing, it allows one to stretch the metal a bit further, without the risk of tearing. One last detail is that smiths usually use a thicker gage sheet than sterling so that the finished work would have the same strength. I wonder if Crichton used Britannia after the crash? IP: Logged |
All times are ET | next newest topic | next oldest topic |
  |
|
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46a
|
1. Public Silver Forums (open Free membership) - anyone with a valid e-mail address may register. Once you have received your Silver Salon Forum password, and then if you abide by the Silver Salon Forum Guidelines, you may start a thread or post a reply in the New Members' Forum. New Members who show a continued willingness to participate, to completely read and abide by the Guidelines will be allowed to post to the Member Public Forums. 2. Private Silver Salon Forums (invitational or $ donation membership) - The Private Silver Salon Forums require registration and special authorization to view, search, start a thread or to post a reply. Special authorization can be obtained in one of several ways: by Invitation; Annual $ Donation; or via Special Limited Membership. For more details click here (under development). 3. Administrative/Special Private Forums (special membership required) - These forums are reserved for special subjects or administrative discussion. These forums are not open to the public and require special authorization to view or post. |
|
copyright © 1993 - 2022
SM Publications
All Rights Reserved. Legal & Privacy Notices |
