The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-09-14
ENGLISH HALL MARKS
The True Ones Are the Leopard
and the Lion.
LEGACY OF THE MIDDLE AGES
The System Invented by the Gold
smiths Company of London Is a
Lasting Index to the Age and Gen.
uineness of Old Silver Articles.


| uineness of Old Silver Articles.
| Every mark on your old silver means
something, and If you care to be sure
about its age or maker 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 date letters and Of the
registered silversmiths and their pri-
vate marks.
| In 1887 King Edward III. granted n
charter to the Goldsmiths' guild. Dur
| ing the reign of Edward ". the Gold
smiths Company of London, as ii
| 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 a guarantee of
genuineness.
Neither the date marks nor makers
uldTkS aTe udll IlIdIhs. properly spedh-
ing. though all marks on silver are
commonly referred TO as hall marks.
The true hall marks are the leopard
and the lion. The leopard's head was
used first from 1900, and in 1545 Il lion
PEASANT was added. These marks were
punched into the metal with die, the
animal appearing in a shield or oblong
field
Until 1850 a small crown appeared
over the lion; from 1867 to 1850 the
puncheon followed the outline of the
lions body; after that the lion appear
ed on an oblong 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 marx 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 III. raised the standard of the
metal, and in 1895 the new quality was
given a new mark, Britannia sitting in
an oblong puncheon, with 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
ha Arct 1f
About 1879 the initials were substitut-
ed. For example, prior to this date
Paul Lamerie's mark was La. After
ward it became p. l..
Thus were four marks on the silver
up to 17S4Eleopard's head, lion, date
letter and makers mark. In 1854 the
sovereign's head was added-the gov
ernmental 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
a puncheon following its outlines until
1878. 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 1923 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 1457. 1t was a triple |
turreted castle or tower. The stand |
ard mark was a thistle, which was
substituted for the assay masters mi |
tails in 1857. The date letter cycles |
began in Edinburgh in 1851
Glasgow had a curious emblem-a |
tree with bird in the top, a bell hang |
ing from one branch and a fish across |
the trunk, stamped in an oval punch |
con. The Sheffield and Birmingham |
hall marks were a crown and an an
Choir respectively, with the lion PEASANT |
as the standard mark. Dublin had a |
crowned harp.
Now, to go back to the subject of |
date marks, / cannot do more than |
barely indicate what there is in the /
subject for those who wish to 60 into |
it seriously. Different cities or halls
had different year marks. 1 will deal
only with the London marks, as being /
by far the most important.
Each year had assigned to it a let
ter OF the alphabet, which was stamp
ed on every piece OF silver made or
sold in London that year. When the
was used up they went back
TO A 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 IL a thick
coating of silver by the modern cleo
troplate process. Such counterfeit5 are
treated skillfully, hall marks and all
being reproduced.
On the bottom or inside of the piece
may sometimes be found the granulat-
ed or crystallized surfaces left by this
process, though these are usually fooled
over If in sight. Sometimes English
hall marks have been cut from spoon
Dr. other small article of great age and
to a larger piece Of more