THE DIRECTORY OF AUSTRALIA SILVERSMITHS
MARKS AND HALLMARKS OF AUSTRALIAN SILVER
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AUSTRALIA SILVERSMITHS NOT IDENTIFIED |
(click on the photo to enlarge image)
NOT IDENTIFIED
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J WA LK ER into rectangles New South Wales c. 1860 |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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J&H STG.SILVER, not identified |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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m&m, not identified |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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R.E.F. and crossed hammers not identified |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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PH 'animal''human head' 'emu' not identified |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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BS & HS into a rectangle Victoria c. 1840 |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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BJ into a circle, not identified |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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CR M 'head looking left' Victoria (possibly) c. 1870 |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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L&S and various symbols (lion, kangaroo) not identified |
NOT IDENTIFIED
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C.G, W and various symbols not identified |
HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER -
MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION
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BRITISH TOWN MARKS AND DATE LETTERS
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AUSTRALIA AND ITS SILVER - A BRIEF HISTORY
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Australia in the 19th century was made up of six separate
colonies, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia, South Australia
(including, at this time, also the Northern Territories).
In term of working silversmiths only three colonies supported any number of craftsmen, namely South Wales capital,
Sydney, Victoria, capital Melbourne and South Australia capital, Adelaide.
In the first half of the 19th century inhabitants of Australia were few tenths of thousands and pre 1850
Australian silver by comparison to colonial silver in general must be considered very rare.
Most working silversmiths with retail business carried imported silver or plated items as current stock and
locally produced items were manufactured only to fulfill immediate orders (as presentation trophies) when the
waiting time to order pieces from England was too long.
No form of official mark or date letter system was introduced into the hallmarking of Australian silver.
Early Australian silversmiths marked their objects with their full name or initials and imitations of English hallmarks as leopard's heads, lions and anchors.
In 1988 was formed the Gold and Silversmiths Guild of Australia. A voluntary system of marking was introduced (maker's mark, standard mark, guild mark and date letter).
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