The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-01-04
NEW HAVEN MORNING JOURNAL AND COURIER

commonly referred to as hall marks
The true hall marks are the Leopard
AID the lion. The leopard's head was
used first. from 1900, and in 1916 lin
PEASANT was added. These marks
We're punched into the metal with
die, the animal appearing in shield
or oblong field.
Until 1850 a small crown appeared
over the lion: from 1857 to 1880 the
puncheon followed the outline LEI 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 helpful in determining the
age of a piece of silver when the date
mark is indistinct.
The date letter or year mark system
seems to have, been definitely settled
about 1918, for although there was. an
alphabetical system more than afty
years before it is customary to go
back to 1918 an accurate starting
point.
Charles II. raised the standard of
the metal and in 1895 the new quality
was given a new mark-Britannia sit
ting in an oblong Duncheon. with a
lion's head, erased The standard was
found to be too soft for practical pur-
poses. however. and in 1870 there was
return to the old, and present, stand
ard of metal, with the leopard's head
and lion PEASANT. Naturally, these
Britannia pieces are rare.
Makers began to use their private
marks about 1863. At first they used
the first two letters of the surname;
about 1889 the initials were sub
stituted.
For example. prior to this date Paul
Lamerie's mark was La; afterward it
became P. L.
Thus there were four marks on the
silver up to 17S4-e)pards head lion,
date letter makers mark. In 1884 the
soverereign's head was added-the
governmental customs matchmaking
five punches in all.
There We're changes made from time
| to time in fixed hall marks which are
worth noting For example the Loop
ards head was set in a puncheon fol-
lowing its, outlines until 1878, when it
! began u appear in 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 London marks. There
were in addition, provincial marks.
| The Edinburgh hall mark dates from
1857. 1t was a triple castle or tower.
! The standard mark was a thistle,
which was substituted for the assay
masters initials in 1857. The date let
ter cycles began in Edinburgh in 1881
Glasgow had curious emblem-a
tree with a bird in the top. bal
hanging from one branch, and a fish
across the trunk, stamped in an ova,
puncheon. The Sheffield and Birm.
ingham hall marks were crown and
an anchor respectively. with the lior
PEASANT as the standard mark.
Dublin had crowned harp, Other
special marks were l1n= used in Ches
ter, Newcastle, and many Scottish
towns. Familiarity with these provin
cial marks win often prevent confus
ion in studying old silver.
| Now to go back to the subject d
date marks I cannot do mJre thar
bare: indicate what there is in thu
subject for these who wish to go TIT,
it seriously. Different cities or halls
had different year marks. will dea
only with the London marks, as being
by far the most important.
Each year had assigned to 1t a lettei
of the alphabet, which was stamped
on every piece of silver made or solt
in London that year. When the al
phabet was used up they went back t,
A again, taking usually slight!
different form of letter. These alpha
bets stopped at the letter U, so tina
each 1f these cycles is an even twent,
years In length.
one way Of counterfeitinG old silve
is to make pervet copy Of an oil
piece in some alloy and give 1t thicl
coating of silver by the modern cleo
troplate process. Such counterfeit
are treated skillfully. hall marks ant
all being reproduced.
On the bottom or inside Of the piec
may sometimes be found the cranulat
cd or crys tallized surfaces left by thl
process, though these are usual.
fooled over if in sight. Sometime
English hall marks have been cut iron
d spoon or other small article of grea
age and transferred to larger nice
of more mldern make