Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The hallmark of the Birmingham Assay Office is the Anchor, and that of the Sheffield Assay Office was the Crown. A story about the origins of this hallmark goes that meetings prior to the inauguration of both Birmingham and Sheffield assay offices in 1773 were held at a public house called the Crown and Anchor Tavern on the Strand, London .
A silver object that is to be sold commercially is, in most countries, stamped with one or more silver hallmarks indicating the purity of the silver, the mark of the manufacturer or silversmith, and other (optional) markings to indicate the date of manufacture and additional information about the piece.
Hallmarks include information not only about the precious metal and fineness, but the country from which the item was tested and marked. Some hallmarks can reveal even more information, e.g. the assay office, size of the object marked, year the item was hallmarked - referred to as a date mark (also known as date letter). [2]
Assay offices are institutions set up to assay (test the purity of) precious metals. This is often done to protect consumers from buying fake items. Upon successful completion of an assay (i.e. if the metallurgical content is found be equal or better than that claimed by the maker and it otherwise conforms to the prevailing law) the assay offices typically stamp a hallmark on the item to ...
A spoon, hallmarked 1899, and carrying the "GU" mark. Close up of maker's mark and hallmarks Printed advert for George Unite & Sons. George Unite (1798 – 19 October 1896) was an English silversmith working in Birmingham, England.
Upgrade to a faster, more secure version of a supported browser. It's free and it only takes a few moments:
Elkington Beverage Service. Circa 1870. It was founded by George Richards Elkington and his cousin, Henry Elkington, in the 1830s. It operated under the name G. R. Elkington & Co. until 1842, when a third partner, Josiah Mason, joined the firm.
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!