Despite the fact that the English hallmarking system is ancient and well-tested, it cannot be relied upon purely for the authenticity of a piece. Its very reputation, respected and revered the world over, makes it vulnerable to dishonest use by fakers and forgers. Transposing marks from one object to another is not an uncommon practice and can be very lucrative when the piece is sold for a high price. Genuine marks may also be removed from an older, damaged object and `married’ to a far later example. This is why experts will sometimes breathe on a piece for, by doing so, the outline of the joins which are invisible to the naked eye should reveal themselves. Certainly when the object is oxidised the let-in silver usually shows fairly clearly. This practice of transposition is not a new one and has been used for many years. (more…)

In the twentieth century it is difficult to imagine eating meals without the aid of cutlery, yet it was not until the eighteenth century that it became the general custom to use forks, knives and spoons. The habit spread only gradually. Towards the later years of the seventeenth century a host might be expected to provide cutlery at table and although this tendency increased, many travellers carried with them their own personal set of a fork, knife and spoon, in a case often made of tooled leather, until as late as around the middle of the eighteenth century. (more…)

Monteiths, punch bowls and punch ladles

The monteith, which looks like a punch bowl with an ornate rim arid lifting handles, fir ^whist appeared some 20 years after the Restoration but became more general during the later years of the seventeenth century and earlier years of the eighteenth. Monteiths are comparatively rare pieces, and therefore fetch high prices. Their scalloped and notched rims were generally removable. The monteith was filld with cold water, then glasses were hung by their foot upon the notchese, and thus allowed to cool in the water. When the monteith was not being used in l filled it punch. (more…)

Chambersticks

Modest and practical, the silver chamberstick was in use during the seventeenth century, but examples are not generally found before the last quarter of the century. In the line of the old nursery rhyme, ‘Here comes a candle to light you to bed’, the words refer to a chamberstick which consisted of a saucer-shaped base for safety, with a short candle-socket in its centre, and a simple handle by which to carry it around the house. Larger homes might later have an assortment of such chambersticks set upon a table in the hall, a person taking one when it was needed and lighting it from a special master taper. Usually made of a lighter metal, the diameter of the saucer-shaped dish varied but generally measured about six inches, the short socket standing about three inches high. Most late seventeenth and eighteenth century examples would have a shapely scroll handle soldered beneath the base and curving upwards. (more…)

Candlesticks

Although the primitive method of lighting the home by candles has long been outmoded, candle production thrives today for decorative and ornamental reasons. Thus a continuity of this ancient form of lighting is maintained, and with it the need for the traditional candlestick in silver, Sheffield plate or electro-plate. Candlesticks in precious metals were slow to come into the ordinary home, which is hardly surprising since, although the two guilds of tallow-chandlers and wax-chandlers were incorporated in the later years of the fifteenth century, only from the early eighteenth century did candles brighten the house of the more prosperous working man. Before this they would be found in abundance only in the great houses of the land, or for ecclesiastical use the pricket candlestick was adopted since it took the form of a conical spike which would support any type of candle. Variations of these were sometimes made for certain domestic uses, although not usually in silver. (more…)

Considering the amount of time women spent plying their needle, the group of silver items including thimbles, thimble buckets, pin cushions, bodkins and needle cases, is not extensive, particularly with earlier items. The position improves much later, during the Victorian era and into the twentieth century, so in order to avoid frustration it is well worth considering the later examples when starting or adding to a collection.

Among these are silver thimbles which can make a stunning collection when grouped together for display. Silver thimbles were used in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but those which are usually available are not of this type, and even eighteenth century specimens have become far less easy to find. (more…)