London Hallmarked Sterling Silver and Mahogany Coasters

• Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.
  
  Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin.
• Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
• Hallmarks - A mark stamped on articles of precious metals in Britain, since the 14th century, certifying their purity. It derives its name from the Guild Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, who recieved its Charter in 1327 giving it the power to assay (test the purity) and mark articles of gold and silver.
  
  The hallmark will consist of several marks, including the:
  
  - silver standard mark, indicating the purity of the metal. Sterling silver is .925 pure silver.
  
  - the city mark indicating the city in which it was assayed eg London, Birmingham, York etc.
  
  - the date mark, usually a letter of the alphabet in a particular font and case,
  
  - a duty mark, indicating whether duty had been paid to the crown, and only in use from 1784 to 1890
  
  The piece may include an additional mark, the maker's mark, although not forming part of the hallmark, will be located in the vicinity of the hallmarks.
  
  Sometimes silver plated items will bear faux hallmarks, often confusing those not familiar with silver markings.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• wine coasters and bottle stands - silver items 242