EXETER Silver tea spoons: WILLIAM RAWLINGS SOBEY

Exeter is known for a good standard of domestic silver. From 1701, its mark of origin was a three towered castle as shown above. Very little silver was assayed in Exeter by the end of the 18th century, hence the Exeter mark is much sought after by collectors. Exeter's assay office closed in 1883.

The following set of five silver tea spoons are by the highly regarded silversmith William Rawlings Sobey (est. £80 - £100 for a set of five). They were assayed during the mid Victorian period and have a clear set of silver marks.

GEORGIAN SILVER TEA SPOONS & HALLMARKS by Thomas Batlings

When I research hallmarks on Georgian silver spoons, I begin by checking the "mark of origin" to discover where the item was assayed. Then I check the "city's section" in a good hallmarks table - these can be found on-line or in a good guide (I use Jackson's Hallmarks published by the Antique Collectors' Club). After this step, I check:

• the date letter - to see whether it's a capital or lower case letter;
• the script; &
• the shape of the shield around the letter.

I then compare these with the letters in the hallmarks tables. Once I am sure about the place and date of origin, it's is fairly easy to then look up the maker's mark. I try to pay about £20 for Georgian tea spoons, although this varies if a spoon is rare or unusual (for example, I pay about £60 - £80 for 18th century picture back tea spoons). The following spoons are by Duncan Urquhart & Napthali Hart and were assayed in 1801 (est. £100 - £120). The set of six includes one 18th Century spoon by Samuel Godbehere & Edward Wigan. This example shows, that although hallmarks on Georgian spoons are quite often rubbed, it is still possible to identify where and when a piece was made.

Work by Jonathan Hayne is highly regarded by silver collectors, particularly his silver forks and spoons. Assayed in 1829, the following example shows a silver tea spoon by Jonathan Hayne (est. £20 - £25). The spoon dates from the late Georgian period and has a George IV duty mark.

George Adams Silver Ladle

George Adams took over Chawner & Co in the 1840's. By 1851, he exhibited at the Great Exhibition and his company became one of the major producers of high quality silver flatware in Victorian England.

George Adams is particularly well known for producing top quality silver ladles. This example was assayed in 1844 and has a charming engraving on its handle. Ladles like the one shown usually weigh about 70 g and can be purchased for £80 - £100 at antique fairs and on ebay.

George Adams Silver Tea Spoons
George Adams is also highly regarded for producing high quality Victorian flatware. Silver tea spoons by George Adams are eagerly sought after by collectors. I usually pay about £20 for a good quality George Adams tea spoon. The following set of four George Adams tea spoons (est. £75 - £85) were assayed in 1859 and have a clear "GA" maker's mark.

William Cummins: Irish Silver ladles

Dublin's silversmiths are well known for their high standards of workmanship. Dublin's Goldsmiths' company gained its charter in 1638. Under Dublin's new charter, silver was marked with a crowned harp and a maker's mark. From 1730-01, the Hibernia mark was added to show that duty had been paid. In 1807, Hibernia was replaced as a duty mark by the monarch's head (please see my earlier blog about duty marks). However, Hibernia continued as the town mark for Dublin. This gives five marks for Dublin silver until 1890 when the duty mark stopped being used. These are shown in the example below:

The following images show a highly collectible pair of rat tailed Georgian silver ladles by William Cummins (est. £150 - £180). They have an engraved crest of a sitting big cat and were assayed in 1831.

Caring for silver salts

Empty your salt cellar and wash after use.
Always empty your salt cellar after using it as salt corrodes silver.  Ideally you should wash both the cellar and its spoon as soon as possible. Use  warm soapy water, rinse carefully and dry with a soft cloth. Then keep your salts in their box wrapped in acid free tissue paper.

The following photos show a high quality Mappin & Webb condiment set (est. £180 - £220) which was assayed in Birmingham.

CHESTER HALLMARKS

Chester hallmarks are highly prized by silver collectors for their rarity (the assay office closed in 1962) and quality. The silver mark shows the city arms which is three sheaves of wheat - known as gerbes - and a sword. The monarch's head duty mark was used from 1784 until 1890 (I've put together a short item about duty marks below).

Chester is known for producing small items such as mustard pots and creamers. The following example shows a charming Stokes & Ireland mustard pot from the 1920's (est £120 - £145).

Both the pot and its spoon have the collectible Chester hallmark.

One family, called the Richardsons, made most of Chester's silver in the 18th century. After the Richardsons, the Lowes were the most prolific and are still in Chester today. Work by Stokes & Ireland is highly regarded and rarely seen on the market.

RARE GEORGE III INCUSE DUTY MARK

The silver duty mark was introduced in 1784 to cover the costs of the American fight for independence. The duty mark showed the monarch's head in profile and was in use until 1890. The following example shows the rare "incuse" concave mark for George III, which was only used in 1784/85.

John Pinches Silver Ladle

Solid silver ladles - like the one shown below - rarely come onto the market. A simple Google search shows how uncommon they are. This example (from ebay) is really charming as it has a twist stem and rat tail pattern.

This great example (est. £65 - £85) was made in Scotland and assayed in Edinburgh.

John Picnhes spoons are easier to collect, although those decorated with agates and hard stones are a rarity and much more collectible. This fantastic set is currently being sold on ebay: