This is not very satisfactory, although the practice has now been altered. A purchaser gets a piece of silver plate with the lion and the leopard’s head on it, and this to the tyro denotes quality, and allays any fears he may have as to its origin. He may innocently imagine he is supporting home industries, not knowing what the meaning of the letter F may be at the end of the row of symbols.

This foreign mark, illustrated in Table, [p. 357], was used from 1876 to 1904.

It seems unfair to British manufacturers that foreign silver is assayed here for competitive sale with home manufactured plate; it bears the time-honoured symbols that have been used in this country for four hundred years. There is also the possibility that some fraudulent dealer may remove the F, and straightway the piece becomes British. It was not in the public interest that such a loose state of things should continue.

By the Hall Marking of Foreign Plate Act (4 Edw. VII. c. 6), Foreign silver plate was marked by the Assay Offices with the following marks in addition to the Standard Mark and the Date Letters. In 1906, by Order in Council, certain alterations were made in the London, Sheffield, Glasgow and Dublin marks on Foreign plate assayed.

From 1904.
Birmingham.
Chester.
Edinburgh.
Decimal equivalent
of standard value of
the silver.
From 1904 to 1906.
London.
Sheffield.
Glasgow.
Dublin.
From 1906.
London.
Sheffield.
Glasgow.
Dublin.

[II]

ECCLESIASTICAL
PLATE