1908 Sheffield Hallmarked Silver Fish Servers
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
- 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. - 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.
Visually similar items
An 18th century mother of God icon, Tempera, 36 x 31 cm
Two books to include i) The All-Australia Memorial History, Heroes and Helpers, 1917 includes hundreds of photos and biographies of AIF members ii) The History of the Sea
Victorian sterling silver sugar strainer spoon London 1858, makers Elizabeth and John Eaton. Weight 66grams
Kazuhide Takahama (Japanese, b. 1930), Suzanne lounge chair, designed 1965, manufactured by Knoll, red wool fabric upholstery, foam shell, stainless steel trim, height 70 width 78 diameter 90 cm. Provenance: Dedece, Sydney, 2006. Private Collection, Sydney