HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH AND BRITISH SILVER MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION THE DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH, SCOTTISH, IRISH, CHANNEL ISLANDS AND COLONIES SILVERMITHS

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B.B over SLd into a shield (in relief or engraved) Barker Bros Ltd, now Barker Ellis Co LTD, Business established in Birmingham in 1801. The firm still possesses the original Boulton & Watt dies acquired during its early days of manufacturing. The business appears in a 1871 directory as Barker Brothers, silversmiths active in Paradise Street. As Barker Brothers Silversmiths Ltd, it was incorporated in 1907. The company had moved to Constitution Hill in the 1920s, where it remained until the 1980s maintaining a London showroom during the early part of the 20th century. In the 1960s, the firm merged with Ellis & Co (Birmingham) Ltd..... (...more...) Birmingham 1930 hallmark Birmingham 1938 hallmark

B.B Barker Bros , Birmingham 1902 hallmark.... (...more...)

BB into a rectangle Benjamin Barling, The firm was established in 1812 by Benjamin Barling who entered his first mark in 1815. The style of the firm was changed in 1851 (or before) to Benjamin Barling & Sons. The firm was managed by Edwin Barling and his brother William Barling. In 1955 the the firm was converted into a limited liability company as B.Barling & Sons Ltd and became a subsidiary of The Imperial Tobacco Group Ltd, trading from Liverpool. See the section of "TOBACCONISTS, PIPE MAKERS, PIPE MOUNTERS" marks. London 1850 hallmark

B.brs into an oval Briddon Brothers -possibly- Sheffield 1938 hallmark

London	Birmingham	Dublin	Edinburgh	Sheffield	Chester

The hallmarking of British silver is based on a combination of marks that makes possible the identification of the origin and the age of each piece.
The marks are:

Town mark, corresponding to the mark of the assay office that has verified the piece

Lion's passant guardant or Britannia or lion's head erased certifiying the silver's quality

Maker's mark, identifying the silversmith presenting the piece to the assay office

Date letter, in cycles of twenty letters of the alphabet of different shape identifies the year in which the piece was verified by the assay office

A further mark was used in the period 1784 - 1890:
Sovereign head ('duty mark'), certifying the payment of duty