CHAPTER I
THE MARKS STAMPED UPON SILVER
I. The Hall-mark. Its significance—The hall-mark compulsory by law—Various hall-marks.—II. The Standard Mark. The silver standards—The Lion passant (England), the Thistle (Scotland), and the Harp (Ireland).—III. The Date Mark. The alphabets used by the various assay offices.—IV. The Maker’s Mark. Initials of surname—Later usage, determined by law, initials of Christian and surnames.—V. The Higher Standard Mark. The lion’s head erased and the figure of Britannia (compulsory from 1697 to 1720, optional afterwards).—VI. The Duty Mark. The reigning sovereign’s head from George III to Victoria (1784 to 1890).—VII. The Foreign Mark. Foreign silver plate assayed in the United Kingdom to bear an additional mark.
I. THE HALL-MARK
This is the mark stamped upon gold or silver plate by a recognized guild, and signifies that the object so stamped has successfully passed the assay applied to it to determine its quality. British hall-marks possess a reputation which they undoubtedly deserve. “In this country the system has existed substantially in its present form since the reign of Edward I.”[1] In this reign, under statutory authority, it was laid down that all silver made in England was to be as good as the silver coin or better, and provincial silversmiths (one from each centre) were to proceed to London to have their work assayed and have the mark of the leopard’s head stamped upon it. For six centuries the hall-mark of the wardens of the “Mistery of Goldsmiths” of the city of London has stood as a guarantee of value, and is intended to afford sufficient protection to the purchaser.
This hall-mark, or town mark as it came to be known later, denotes the place where the assay was made. It was struck on all such articles as would bear the “Touch”; this is the technical term synonymous with assaying. As will be seen subsequently, the hall-mark does not stand alone. Very early it was deemed expedient to stamp some further mark, which should denote the date when the piece was actually assayed at the hall or assay office.
This second assay mark, or warden’s mark, is known as the date letter.
The Company of Goldsmiths in London, incorporated by charter in 1327, possessed plenary powers which they exercised with considerable rigour. They framed stringent regulations determining trade customs, they kept a watchful eye on recalcitrant members who showed any tendency to lower the dignity of the craft, and they punished with severity all those who counterfeited the official marks of the hall.