This list is organized from highest to lowest millesimal fineness, or purity of the silver. Nov 05, 20 there are more than 100 pages dedicated solely to silver marks. At the time he was working on the book british watchcase gold and silver marks 1670 to 1970. More then 15,000 silver hallmarks from all over the world. These marks are often not in close proximity as in the examples.
Hello, does anyone know if these marks are for french silver or silver plate as i am struggling to find any reference. Book series covering gold, silver, platinum, and palladium hallmarks, these books document hallmarking countries from around the world. Vintage american silver makers id book 2000 marks w history. It represents a metal content of either 750 gold or 950 silver, minimum. The number refers to the grams of silver used in the electroplating process. This is a page of a small collection of antique silver and objects of vertu, a pages richly illustrated website offering all you need to know about antique silver, sterling silver, silverplate, sheffield plate, electroplate silver, silverware, flatware, tea services and tea complements, marks and hallmarks, articles, books, auction catalogs, famous silversmiths tiffany, gorham, jensen. Marks with letters are listed in alphabetical order. Discovering hallmarks on english silver by john bly this book not only tabulates the hallmarks that enable the identification of silver items but also traces the history of english silver, describing some famous makers and provides hints on spotting fakes. The ambition of this website is to create a complete reference guide of swedish hallmarks from late 1600s to c 1930s.
If you cant see any of these 5 marks, the chances are that the item is either not british or is silverplated. Russian, italian, english, american, french, silver plate, electroplate silver, old sheffield plate and much more. The vast majority of french silver found today was made after 1838 and will bear only two marks. So, a spoon may bear the mark 12 g or 12 gr, indicating that 12 g of silver created the item. 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 date of manufacture and additional information about the piece. The dogs head hallmark on the right is the french hallmark for platinum items that test to be a minimum of 950 parts platinum but was not introduced until 1912. This was completed by his widow and the editorial team of the nawcc and is now available to purchase on line. French eagles head hallmark indicating a minimum fineness of 18k gold, made in france, est. Canada from 1946 925 standard minimum, usually with sterling or silver and a makers mark. This is a non profit project, which started in aug 2015. Guide to world hallmarks i encyclopedia of silver marks.
French trade hallmarks this left facing head of mercury with the octagonal outline and scalloped corners was marked on large french silver items exported out of france between 1840 and 1879. Anchor and c interlaced ancre et c, october 1841 sept. It was edward i 12727 who first passed a statute requiring all silver to be of sterling standard a purity of 925 parts per thousand ushering in a testing or assay system that has survived for over 700 years. Vintage american silver makers id book 2000 marks w. The english goldsmiths marks from 1400 to 1900 1 makers marks and hallmarks from england, scotland, and ireland rare reference book for collectors over 700 pages, collectors and dealers will. Following a ruling of the european court of justice the uk is required to accept national hallmarks of member states who provide an equivalent guarantee. Marks in watch cases hallmarks, sponsors marks, etc. International hallmarks on silver collected by tardy. The hallmarking of british silver is based on a combination of marks that allow the identification of the origin and the age of each piece. Until the 1789 french revolution a multitude of hallmarks was created to distinguish town of origin, guild who verified the silver fineness and punched the jurande or warranty mark and the charge and discharge marks proving the payment of taxes on silver artifacts. General values of silver plated items follow the same principle as values. Discover all the extraordinary items our community of craftspeople have to offer and find the perfect gift for your loved one or yourself.
Simply flick through the book, looking at the top of the tables of marks to remind yourself if you forget. I admit, however, that given the fact that french silver could be exported with no marks at all, the theory that these spoons are of french origin is still viable. French makers marks illustrated e online encyclopedia. The book is organised by country, and has two indexes an analytical pictorial index showing the marks grouped together by subject. Some marks look like a circle, square, bird or animal shape, etc. Silver plate, however, does not hold its value as successfully. While i have my doubts about the spoon in the post akgdc references, the one in this post most definitely. French marks are very small but it is usually fairly easy to see that the shape of the lozenge around minervas head is an octagon for the 1st standard and a barrelshape for the 2nd standard. The livre was the name of both units of account and coins. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This left facing head of mercury with the octagonal outline and scalloped corners was marked on large french silver items exported out of france between 1840 and 1879. There were two marks used on sterling silver items produced by armand frenais. Scotland had its own slightly peculiar system of marking silver, so if the marks on your scottish silver are baffling you then hopefully you.
A list of early american silversmiths and their marks. Silver hallmarks are marks indicating the quality of silver objects. Scottish silver is one of our passions and we have made this guide so that you can read the marks on your piece of scottish silver. French hallmarks online encyclopedia of silver marks. Etsy has thousands of handcrafted and vintage products that perfectly fit what youre searching for. If you can find one of these marks, then you know that the. Hand book to foreign hall marks on gold and silver plate by christopher a. These marks are customarily the cipher of the gunsmiths guild and the mark of the state or city. Many of the other marks are completely useless to some of us looking for marks commonly found on antiques found in antique shops, flea markets and handed down from relatives. Silver marks encyclopedia antique and vintage hall of. A diverse variety of subject matter is covered including. Buy silver hallmarks book and get the best deals at the lowest prices on ebay. Melt silver plate down, and it yields very little in terms of valuable silver or other metals.
Search our online database for just the right silver items. This is a page of a small collection of antique silver and objects of vertu, a pages richly illustrated website offering all you need to know about antique silver, sterling silver, silverplate, sheffield plate, electroplate silver, silverware, flatware, tea services and tea complements, marks and hallmarks, articles, books, auction. Armand frenais silversmith company a rival of christofle. Canadian makers marks china chinese export silver marks. The following information comes from the book of the pistol and revolver by hugh b.
The eagles head hallmark is commonly seen on french made items of gold since 1838. Antique cupboard is the place to find sterling silver flatware, and silverware. In 1999 changes were made to the hallmarking act 1973. An extensive reference guide to silver marks, hallmarks, trademarks and makers marks found on antique and vintage silver, especially sterling and coin silver, and silverplate. Import marks from 1999 following a ruling of the european court of justice the uk is required to accept national hallmarks of member states who provide an equivalent guarantee.
Antique sterling silverware and flatware silver and silverplate. Alas, the french company that produced it has gone out of business and it is now virtually impossible to find this book anywhere. Over 100,000 french translations of english words and phrases. The book of the pistol and revolver is also available to purchase in print it is unfortunate from the point of view of history that weapons were not marked with a date letter as is customary with silver hallmarks, but the proofmarks stamped upon arms give no indication of the period of proof. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The right example the small guarantee mark boars head and makers mark. From october 1738 the system based on largesmall silver and golden objects marks maintained the same principles until the 1789 revolution.
The french system of marking silver has changed several times. Antique sterling silverware and flatware, silver and. Proof marks are the official stamps or ciphers showing that a barrel has been properly tested with the prescribed excess charges of powder and ball that allow a large factor of safety to the user. Scotland had its own slightly peculiar system of marking silver, so if the marks on your scottish silver are baffling you then hopefully you can use this guide to help you get started. Rare hardyau fils le mans antique french 10pc fork set, pearl handles. The belgian hallmark for large items which in my experience seems to mean most things other than jewelry is a minerva head similar to the french one of the early 19th century, but distinctive in several points e. The assay office marks for gold would be in a square shield with chamfered corners and in a blunt oval for silver.
With more than 2400 marks illustrated and brief histories and crossreferences of more than 1600 manufacturers, this is the most comprehensive reference source on the subject. Systems of silver hallmarking vary according to country. Sections for american, british and world marks, plus many useful reference articles for silver collectors. If you can find one of these marks, then you know that the item is british silver and you can move onto stage 2. So thats why i react its possible that im wrong so i read the lines in the book again. French silver was also subject to the various fiscal crises of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. You can identify french silver plate by a number alongside a makers mark. These marks provide at least an approximation of the date of striking through 1966. You wont receive heavily thumbed shelf copies from us. But it is interesting when they use the wrong mythological person name. Buy english silver hallmarks dealer guides illustrated edition by judith banister, judith banister isbn. Silver dictionary of a small collection of antique silver and objects of vertu, a 1500 pages richly illustrated website offering all you need to know about antique silver, sterling silver, silverplate, sheffield plate, electroplate silver, silverware, flatware, tea services and tea complements, marks and hallmarks. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options.
The little book is called dutch goldand silver marks 14451951 ellias voet jr. A history of english goldsmiths and plateworkers, and their marks stamped on plate. The state control mark for silver of 875 fine is a bear rampant, in ellipse, and for silver of fine 800, a hen contourne, in ellipse. I am constantly adding new, and trying to improve the quality of the photos. The livre french for pound was the currency of kingdom of france and its predecessor state of west francia from 781 to 1794.
A good place to start is the pictorial index or appendix of the marks usually found in the back of the hallmark reference book. Normally when we think of antique sterling silver we think of england, where the tradition of hallmarking the metal for quality control goes back to the th century. Websites devoted to researching jewelry marks may also be organized. The pocket edition of jacksons hallmarks contains 1,000 makers marks listed alphabetically by mark, with comments as to rarity, value and the speciality of the maker e.
Faces, birds, animals, insects, geometric shapes, numbers, letters, crowns, shields, stars, etc. Silver standards refer to the standards of millesimal fineness for the silver alloy used in the manufacture or crafting of silver objects. The hallmark for sterling silver varies from nation to nation, often using distinctive historic symbols, although dutch and uk assay offices no longer strike their traditional hallmarks exclusively in their own territories and undertake assay in other countries using marks that. Silver marks encyclopedia antique and vintage hall of fame. If i wanted a book on silver marks i would have bought one. His greatgrandson louis, born in 1710, was first in the line of succession as the king of france. French silver in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These world hallmark books provide more insight about precious metal hallmarks from 19th to 21st centuries and from more countries around the world than any other publication available today. French translation of silver the official collins englishfrench dictionary online. After a regency of eight years, and at the age of, which was considered a majority for kings, louis xv actually took over the charge of the french kingdom in 1723.
Full text of hand book to french hall marks on gold and. The sites main focus is the silver markings used on vintage and antique sterling and coin silver, for those of you interested in silverplate trademarks, we have now added a large section. French solid silver tends to use symbols and initials for identification, rather than numbers. It includes all the material of the two earlier books about watchcase marks, and a lot of additional. Sterling silver will always keep some intrinsic value, because it can be melted down and sold as scrap silver.
Swedish silver hallmarks svenska silverstamplar start. French translation of silver collins englishfrench. These marks are usually not in close proximity as shown in the examples. Marc rosenberg published by heinrich keller, frankfurt am main 1890 illustrated encyclopedia of 2000 european silversmiths and. Marc rosenberg published by heinrich keller, frankfurt am main 1890 illustrated encyclopedia of 2000 european silversmiths and goldsmiths master marks and hallmarks, text in german. It represents an item that has tested to be constructed of a minimum 18k or 750 parts gold. Full text of hand book to french hall marks on gold and silver plate containing 372. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Cripps 1880, old french plate, a handbook for the collector. French sterling silver hallmarks and makers marks were not as systematic as their british counterparts, but they and french sterling silver itself have quite an extensive history.
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