HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER
MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION

WITH THE ADDITION OF SCOTTISH, IRISH, CHANNEL ISLANDS AND COLONIES SILVERMITHS
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BRITISH SILVERSMITHS - ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF MARKS: MC - MI
ALPHABETICAL LISTING
OF SILVERSMITHS' NAMES		 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
(click on the photo to enlarge image)
MC mark, Mary Chawner, London 1833
MC
Mary Chawner,
London 1833 hallmark
MC into two conjoined circles mark, not identified, Sheffield 1944
MC into two conjoined circles
not identified,
Sheffield 1944 hallmark
MC&Co mark, Mackay, Chisholm & Company, Edimburgh 1878
MC&Co
Mackay, Chisholm & Company,
Edimburgh 1878 hallmark
MC over GA into a quatrefoil mark, Mary Chawner & George W Adams, London 1840
MC over GA into a quatrefoilo
Mary Chawner & George W Adams,
London 1840 hallmark
MF mark, Friedlander & Co -Montague Friedlander- , Chester 1907
MF
Friedlander & Co -Montague Friedlander- ,
Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Chester 1907 hallmark
MH over & Co into a shield mark, Martin Hall &a Co Ltd, Sheffield 1886
MH over & Co into a shield
Martin Hall & Co Ltd,
The firm origins by the partnership established in 1820 in Sheffield by Henry Wilkinson and John Roberts who traded as Wilkinson & Roberts.The firm's cronology is: John Roberts (1836), Roberts & Hall ( 1846), Martin Hall & Co (1854), Martin Hall & Co Ltd (1866-1936). Martin Hall & Co was one of the best known British manufacturers and partecipated to many international exhibitions including the Crystal Palace 1851 Great Exhibition. They had also a line of production in electroplate and in a patented white metal called "Martinoid".
Sheffield 1886 hallmark
MH over & Co Ld into a quatrefoil mark, Martin Hall &a Co Ltd, Sheffield 1925 MH over & Co Ld into a quatrefoil mark, Martin Hall &a Co Ltd, Sheffield 1925 MH over & Co Ld into a quatrefoil mark, Martin Hall &a Co Ltd, Birmingham 1916
MH over & Co Ld into a quatrefoil
Martin Hall & Co Ltd,
Sheffield 1925 hallmark


Birmingham 1916 hallmark
HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER - MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION
ALPHABETICAL LISTING
OF SILVERSMITHS' NAMES		 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
CAPE SILVERSMITHS A - C D - I J - M N - T U - Z
CHANNEL ISLANDS SILVERSMITHS A - F G - H I - P Q - Z unidentified
CANADA SILVERSMITHS A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
BRITISH TOWN MARKS AND DATE LETTERS
London town marks Birmingham town marks Dublin town marks Edinburgh town marks Sheffield town marks Exeter town marks
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
London town mark Sheffield town mark Birmingham town mark Newcastle town mark Dublin town mark Edimburgh town mark Glasgow town mark

Lion's passant guardant or Britannia or lion's head erased certifiying the silver's quality
lion passant: 1598-1820 lion passant: after 1820 Britannia and lion's head erased: from 1697 to 1718
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
London date letter 'a'
A further mark was used in the period 1784 - 1890:
Sovereign head ('duty mark'), certifying the payment of duty
Sovereign head: duty mark from 1784 to 1890
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