HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER
MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION - ILLUSTRATED LISTING
WITH THE ADDITION OF SCOTTISH, IRISH, CHANNEL ISLANDS AND COLONIES SILVERMITHS
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SITE MAP -
HOME PAGE
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BRITISH SILVERSMITHS
ILLUSTRATED LISTING OF SILVER MAKERS MARKS
GM - GR |
| ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF MAKER'S MARKS |
| ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF SILVERSMITHS' NAMES |
(click on the photo to enlarge image)
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G.M.Co into an indented rectangle
Gorham Manufacturing Co,
Birmingham 1938 hallmark
Birmingham 1905 import hallmark
Gorham Mfg Co, Providence, RI, USA, acted as importer and sponsor/maker of sterling silver ware. Their first English agency has been opened in London in 1894 (32 Essex Street, Strand). New showrooms were opened in 1904 (Ely Place, Holborn). In 1909 they took an English factory, previously owned by Henry Emanuel of Birmingham who remained as superintendent. Adjoining Time Works, the premises of William Erhardt Ltd, watch manufacturers (214 Barr Street, Birmingham). The factory was known as Sterling Works. Gorham, maintaining the factory until the outbreak of WWI, was a large exhibitor at the Jewellers' Exhibitions of 1913 and 1914. Gorham entered various GMCo hallmarks at Birmingham Assay Office and London Assay Office (1904, 1910) but the first mark was entered by John Henry Buck (JHB) in 1894 for the interest of Gorham as importer. |
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G of H
George Henry Hart - 'Guild of Handicraft',
George Henry Hart (1882-1973) was one of the silversmiths working with Charles Ashbee and the original Guild of Handicraft. In 1912 he took over the
workshops obtaining his success in the 1926 and 1927 Goldsmith's Company competitions. He was made a Freeman in 1929 and was joined in 1930 by his
son, Henry. Now George Hart's grandson, David Hart, continues the work of the Guild of Handicraft.
London 1942 hallmark |
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GP&S into four conjoined octagons
G. Payne & Son,
The firm was founded in Wallingford in 1790 by John Payne in 1790. Further shops were opened in
Abingdon 1825, Banbury 1842 and Tunbridge Wells 1870, all run by various members of the Payne family.
George Septimus Payne inherited the Abingdon shop in 1874 and moved to Oxford in 1888.
Payne & Son (Goldsmiths), Oxford, started trading in January 1889 and have been at 131 High
Street ever since
Birmingham 1930 hallmark |
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BRITISH TOWN MARKS AND DATE LETTERS
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MORE on the tutorial:
HOW TO READ ENGLISH/BRITISH STERLING SILVER MARKS
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 silver piece manufactured or traded in the UK. The marks are:
Town mark, corresponding to the mark of the Assay Office that has verified the piece
Lion passant guardant or Britannia or lion's head erased, certifiying the silver quality
Maker's mark, identifying the silversmith presenting the piece to the assay office (usually the initials of Christian name and surname of the silversmith)
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 the duty
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