Chinese Export Silver marks: A

A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVER
AND OBJECTS OF VERTU

CHINESE EXPORT SILVER
By the late 18th/early 19th centuries, the phenomenon we now know as Chinese Export Silver was well-entrenched. It happened simply because silver, as a material, was more plentiful in China than anywhere else and the art of silversmithing had been perfected to such a high level. It was also relatively cheap, compared to Western counterparts.
This capability was quick to be recognized; merchants and sea-captains began to bring western silver items as examples to be copied, while the demand for bespoke items also increased. It is because of this surge of requests to "copy" that we find a peculiarly Chinese Export Silver circumstance mainly in relation to silver created in the 1785/1840 period.
The phenomenon is often referred to as "pseudo-hallmarks" and most Chinese silversmiths adopted them. But, initially they did so unwittingly, since when they were asked to faithfully copy items brought from the West, many of them had British hallmarks - and so the silversmiths copied "faithfully" hallmarks and all! Yet, not fully understanding the significance of the information these marks imparted, a degree of artistic license was applied; date letters were replaced by a letter that might have been the first Latin letter of the silversmith's name, often using local transcribing. Nearly all silver created during this period was of Western form.

It is during the 1840/1880 period of Chinese Export Silver making we see a change in appearance of the silver produced and the marks makers used on them. Chinese motifs begin to appear on items. It is also during this period we see more silversmiths appearing. Makers' marks also changed in as much as some makers began to use marks that combined Latin initials of the maker along with a mark in Chinese characters or ideograms of the actual artisan silversmith that carried out the work under the roof of the master silversmith. This latter mark is known as the "chopmark". This indicates that makers probably ran workshops where several experienced silver makers operated until the master artisan silversmith,the man behind the Chinese chopmark, finished it.
The 1880/1940 manufacturing period of Chinese Export Silver is where we find a larger number of known silversmiths operating. As with the preceding periods, makers' marks are equally non-consistent in format.
In any case, keep in mind that name or initials in Latin characters are not the name of the actual maker. They will almost certainly identify the retail silversmith or, more correctly, the name under which he trades.

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

CHINESE EXPORT SILVER MAKER'S MARKS
A - B -C - D - E - F

A

unidentified

ACAO

unidentified - Canton
active c.1825-1850

C

unidentified - possibly Canton
active c.1800-1850

CC

unidentified - Canton
(Chinese name)
active 1800-1850 working both English and Chinese taste

workshop/artisan marks

CHEONGSHING

Cheong Shing, 21 Nanking Road, Shanghai & Canton
active c.1880-1915

CHICHEONG

unidentified

CHIENAM

Chienam - place undocumented
active c.1850-1860

C.J      C.J.Co

unidentified - Shanghai
active c.1875-1930

CS

Cumshing - Canton
active c.1775-1825

workshop/artisan marks

CU (conjoined)      CUT

Cutshing, 8 New China Street and Old China Street, Canton
active c.1825-1875. The CU conjoined mark was used 1825-1840, the CU 1850-1860 and the CUT 1840-1870

CW

Cumwo, Queens Road, Hong Kong
active c.1850-1900

workshop/artisan mark

Guang Yuan (Kuang Yuan)

Guang Yuan (Kuang Yuan)

workshop/artisan mark

GW

Gen Wo or Gem Wo - Canton
active c.1850-1875

H (Lombardic character)

Hoaching, Club Street, Honam Island, Canton
active c.1850-1890

HC      HUNGCHONG&CO

Hung Chong & Co, Club Street, Canton
11b Nankin Road, Shanghai (c.1888)
active c.1860-1930

HCG

Houcheong or Houchong, New China Street, Canton
active c.1825-1850

HCH

unidentified, Canton
active c.1830-1875

H.G

unidentified

HHC

Hei Hing Ch'eung, Canton
active c.1830-1890

HK

unidentified

HM

unidentified

Hui - Hong Kong
active 1850-1900

workshop/artisan mark

I&CO

unidentified

JK

unidentified
active last quarter 19th century (possibly)

K (Gothic)

unidentified, possibly Canton
active 1825-1875 (possibly)

KC

unidentified, Canton
active c. 1825-1875

KH

Kwan Hing, Shanghai (possibly)
active c. 1875-1930 (possibly)

KHC

Kecheong, Old China Street, Canton & Club Street, Honam Island, Canton
(Chinese name)
active c. 1840-1870

KL

Guang Li - Shanghai
(Chinese name)
active 2nd quarter 20th century

KMS

Kwong Man Shing - 24 Queen's Road-Hong Kong and, possibly, Canton
(Chinese name)
active 1875-1925

KW

Kwan Wo - Canton or Hong Kong (possibly)
(Chinese name)
active 1870-1925

workshop/artisan marks

K.W

Kwong Wa - Hong Kong
active c.1865-1895

Feng Xiang (Lao Feng Xiang)

Feng Xiang (Lao Feng Xiang) - Shanghai
(Chinese name)
active mid 19th (possibly earlier) to present day

L

Linchong (Lin Chong) - New China Street, Canton
active c.1790-1850

LAINCHANG

Lianchang? - Shanghai
the maker using the mark LAINCHANG is unknown. Possibly the mark refers to Lianchang, active in Shanghai c. 1900-1940

Lao Tian Bao

Lao Tian Bao - Hankou

(Chinese name)

LC      LEECHING

Leeching
Canton, East Street; Canton, Sai Hing Kai; Canton, Club Street, Honam Is; Hong Kong, Queens Road; Hong Kong, 24A Queens Road; Shanghai, Nanking Road
(Chinese name)
active c.1840-1900

LEO

unidentified, Canton
active c.1825-1875

LH

Luen Hing, 231 Szechuen Road, Shanghai
active c.1875 - 1930

(Liang Shun Chi)

Liang Shun Chi - Hong Kong (possibly)
(Chinese name)
active early 20th century (possibly)

LOCK

Lock Hing - Canton, Hong Kong & Shanghai
(Chinese name)
active c.1880-1915

LW      LUEN WO

Luen Wo - Canton & Shanghai
(Chinese name)
active c.1865-1920

MB

unidentified - Canton
active 1825-1850

MH

unidentified - Canton (possibly)

MK

unidentified - Canton
active 1825-1875

NK

unidentified - Nanking (possibly)
active late 19th/early 20th century (possibly)

OS

unidentified, possibly Onn Sing

PC

Po Cheng (possibly) - Hong Kong (possibly)
active late 19th/early 20th century (possibly)

PL

unidentified

Powing (or Pao Ing)

Powing (or Pao Ing) - Canton
active c.1775 - 1820

(Chinese name)

SF

Sing Fat - Canton & Hong Kong
in partnership with Wing Fat (WF) c. 1870-1930
(Chinese name)
active c.1850-1930

Sincere and Company (Shih Hsien)

Sincere and Company (Shih Hsien) - Canton, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Peking
active c.1875 - 1935

(Chinese name)

SS

Sunshing, New China Street, Canton
active c. 1790-1830

S.S

Sun Shing, Canton and 90 Queens Road Central New China Street, Hong Kong
active c. 1840-1910

T

Tu Hopp - Canton
active c. 1830-1840

TAIKUT

Taikut - Hong Kong
active c. 1870

(Chinese name)

TC      TUCK CHANG

Tuck Chang & Company Ltd - Shanghai
(Chinese name)
active 1890-1915

TS      T.S

Tin Sheng, Tin Shing, or Tien Sheng, 46 Stanley Street, Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong
active c. 1870-1925

TSUN TSUN

Tsun Tsun - Shanghai
operated out of Shanghai 1926-40 as a Chinese registered department store

W

Wong Shing, 15 Old China Street, Canton
active c. 1820-1860

WA

unidentified, Canton
active c.1825-1875

WC

Wing Chung - Hong Kong
active c.1850-1900

WE WE WC

WE WE WC, Canton
active c. 1820-1880
a Chinese silversmith who copied British hallmarks when requested to faithfully copy items brought to Canton by sea captains and merchants. It is supposed the maker copied a hallmarked item made by English silversmiths William Eley, William Fearn and William Chawner (WE WF WC) mistaking the "F" of "Fearn" for an "E" and continuing to use it for 60 years

WF

Wing Fat - Hong Kong and Canton
active c. 1900

WH     WANG HING

Wang Hing & Company, Zetland House, 10 Queen's Road, Hong Kong;
1 Sai Sing Street, Canton (Guangzhou) and Shanghai
(Chinese name)
active c. 1854-1925

workshop/artisan marks

WHS

Wen Hua Shun - possibly Peking
(Chinese name)
active 1900-1925

WING CHEONG

Wing Cheong - Hong Kong
active c. 1890

WN

Wing Nam & Company, 65 Queen s Road-Hong Kong (probably a retailer)
(Chinese name)
active 1890-1940

workshop/artisan marks

W.O      WING ON CO (possibly)

Wing On & Company, Des Voeux Road, Hong Kong
(Chinese name)
active 1900-1950

WOSHING      WS

Woshing, Kiangse Road, Shanghai
(Chinese name)
active 1875-1915

workshop/artisan marks

YOK SANG

unidentified

YS

Yatshing - Canton
active c. 1800-1850

ZEE SUNG

Zee Sung - Shanghai
active c. 1910-1950

ZW      ZEEWO      ZEEWO SHANGHAI

Zee Wo & Company - 370 Honan Road - Shanghai
(Chinese name)
active c. 1900-1940

workshop/artisan marks

CHINESE EXPORT SILVER MAKERS
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

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A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVER AND OBJECTS OF VERTU

A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVER
AND OBJECTS OF VERTU