The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-06-29
ENGLISH HALL MARKS
The True Ones Are the Leopard
and the Lion.
LEGACY OF THE MIDDLE AGES

Every mark on your old silver means
something. and if you care to be sure
about its age or maker a study of
these marks and the system is essen
tial. A record has been kept at Gold
smiths hall, London, for five centuries
of all annual late letters and Of the
registered silversmithS and their pri-
yate marks.
In 1897 King Edward III. granted 8
charter to the GoldsmithS' guild. Dur
ing the reign of Edward ". the Gold
smiths Company of London, as 1t
came to be known, invented and put
into practice an alphabetical system of
marks, changing each year. There
were similar codes in the provincial
assay Offices.
This system is one of the few be-
quests of the middle ages which have
stood the test Of time practically with
out change. BY the provisions Of this
system we have not only lasting in
dex by which TO judge the age of gold
and silver, but we have guarantee of
genuineneSS.
Neither the date marks nor makers
marks are hall marks, properly speak
ing. though all marks on silver are
commonly referred to as hall marks.
The true hall marks are the leopard
and the lion. The leOpardS head was
used first from 1900, and in 1915 lion
PEASANT was added. These marks We're
punched into the metal with die, the
animal appearing in d shield or oblong
field.
Until 1850 a small crown appeared
over the lion; from 1907 to 1850 the
puncheOn followed the outline of the
lions body; after that the lion appear
ed on an obIong shield. These various
forms of the hall mark indicate certain
broad periods and are sometimes help
full in determining the age of a piece
Of silver when the date mark is indiS-
tinct The date letter or year mark
system seems to have been definitely
settled about 1918, for, although there
was an alphabetical system more than
fifty years before, it is customary to
go back to 1913 as an accurate starting
point.
Charles II. raised the standard of the
metal, and in 1886 the new quality was
given a new mark, Britannia sitting in
an OblOng puncheOn, with a lions
head erased. The standard was found
to be too soft for practical purposes,
however. and in 1920 there was a re-
turn to the old and present standard
of metal, with the leopard's head and
the lion PEASANT Naturally these Bri-
tannia pieces are rare.
Makers began to use their private
marks about 1868. At first they used
hQ frVn loft of no mo
About 1879 the initials were substitute
ed. For example, prior to this date
Paul Lamerie's mark was La. After
ward it became T. L.
Thus were four marks on the silver
up to 17S4-leopard's head, lion, date
letter and makers mark. In 1874 the
| SOvereign's head was added-the gov
ornamental customs matchmaking five
punches in all. There were changes
from time TO time in the fixed hall
marks which are worth noting. For
example, the leopard's head was set in
puncheOn following its outlines until
1913, when it began TO appear in a
symmetrical shield of five sides.
In 1896 the head was reduced some
what in size. In 1920 the leopard lost
his beard and his shield became OBJ
long, and in 1928 his crown was taken
away from him. These were all Lon
don marks. There were in addition
provincial marks. The Edinburgh hall
, mark dates from 14J7. 1t was triple
turreted castle or tower. The stand
ard mark was a thistle, which was
substituted for the assay masters mi
tials in 1867. The date letter cycles
began in Edinburgh in 1851.
Glasgow had a curious embIem-a
tree with bird in the top, bell hang
ing from one branch and a fish across
the trunk, stamped in an oval punch
con. The Sheffield and Birmingham
hail marks were crown and an an
Choir respectively, with the lion PEASANT
as the standard mark. Dublin had
crowned harp.
Now, TO 90 back to the subject of
date marks, 1 cannot do more than
barely indicate what there is in the
subject for those who wish to go into
it seriously. Different cities or halls
had different year marks. Will deal
only with the London marks, as being
by far the most important
Each year had ass gned to it Il let
ter of the alphabet, which was stamp
ed on every piece of silver made or
sold i'll London that year When the
alphabet was used up they went back
10 \ again, taking usually a slightly
different form of letter These alpha
bets stopped at the letter L, so that
each of these cycles is an even twenty
years in length.
One way of cOunterfeiting old silver
Is to make a perfect copy of an old
piece in some alloy and give it a thick
coating of silver b. the modern cleo
troplate process. Such cOunterfei.s are
treated skilIfully, hall marks and all
being reproduced.
On the bottom or inside of the piece
may sometimes be found the granulat-
ed or cryStaIIiZed surfaces left by this
process. though these are usually fooled
over If in sight. Sometimes English
nall marks have been cut from a spoon
or other small article of great age and