A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVER
AND OBJECTS OF VERTU
THE WHAT IS? SILVER DICTIONARY

TOBACCONISTS
PIPE MAKERS
PIPE MOUNTERS
SILVER HALLMARKS

A pipe for tobacco smoking typically consists of a small chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of the tobacco to be smoked and a thin stem (shank) that ends in a mouthpiece (the bit).
The stem needs a long channel of constant position and diameter running through it, and this is difficult to carve out of a pre-existing block. Because it is molded rather than carved, clay may make up the entire pipe or just the bowl, but most other materials have stems made separately and detachable.
Often a silver band is used to connect the bowl to the detachable stem. In the UK, sterling silver spigots (or ferrules) bear Assay Office's hallmarks which allow to date the pipes and obtain information about their maker, mounter or importer.
In most cases these objects weren't presented to hallmarking by silversmiths but by importers, retailers and pipe mounters who were identified in Assay Office's ledgers as "tobacconists", "pipe makers" or "pipe mounters".
The tobacconist is an expert dealer in tobacco in various forms and related accessories as pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, pipe tampers, ashtrays, cigar cutters or "novelties".
TOBACCONISTS - PIPE MANUFACTURERS - PIPE MOUNTERS
PIPES, TOBACCO, CIGARS AND FANCY GOODS IMPORTERS IN BRITISH ASSAY OFFICES

MAKER'S AND SPONSOR'S MARK: F
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

BIR=Birmingham    CHE=Chester    DUB=Dublin    LON=London
MARK
NAME
ASSAY OFFICE
DATE
TRADE
F&C into an oblong oval
FLETCHER &CAULKIN
BIR
1908
pipe mounters
F&Co into an oblong rectangle
FLETCHER & CO - Birmingham
BIR
1897
pipe mounters
F & C. T into an oblong rectangle
Fred TAYLOR Charles TAYLOR - Manchester
CHE
1900
pipe mounters
S.S.C over F.G without frame Frank GOUGH c/o W.H. CARRINGTON & CO - Manchester, London, Chester 1915 hallmark Frank GOUGH c/o W.H. CARRINGTON & CO - Manchester, London, Chester 1915 hallmark




Frank GOUGH c/o W.H. CARRINGTON & CO - Manchester, London, Chester 1915 hallmark
Frank GOUGH c/o W.H. CARRINGTON & CO - Manchester Frank GOUGH c/o W.H. CARRINGTON & CO - Manchester, London, Chester 1915 hallmark
CHE
1915
pipe mounters


FGH into an oblong oval
Frederick George GOUGH - Bolton
CHE
1897
tobacconist
F.H.C into an oblong oval
Frederick Hugh COSE - Birmingam
CHE
1903
pipe manufacturer
F & J into sort of pointed leaf
H.FRANCIS T.JOHNSON trading as FRANCIS & JOHNSON - London
CHE
1909
pipe mounters and repairers
F.N into a rectangle Frederick NARBOROUGH - Birmingham (possibly), Birmingham 1963 hallmark
Frederick NARBOROUGH - Birmingham (possibly)
BIR
1963
found on a mouthpiece
F.O. over T.O withput outline
F.A. OLD T. OLD trading as F.A. OLD & SON - Southampton
CHE
1914
wholesale tobacconsits
F & S gothic into a chamfered rectangle
William Wilson FAIRWEATHER trading as FAIRWEATHER & SON - Dundee
CHE
1903
tobacco manufacturer
F.S.R. into an oblong rectangle
Frank Saul ROTHSCHILD - London
BIR
CHE
1889
1890
pipe mounter
FW without outline
Ferdinand WEINER - Liverpool
CHE
1898
pipe mounter and maker
F.W. without outline
Ferdinand WEINER - Liverpool
CHE
1900
pipe mounter and maker
F.W.C into an oblong oval
Francis Wride COLE - London
CHE
1912
tobacconist
F.W.S without outline
F.W. SHIPTON - Manchester
CHE
1892c.
pipe mounter
F.W.S in cameo
F.W. SHIPTON - Manchester
BIR
1896
pipe mounter

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