www.925-1000.com

This is a nice example of a hallmark from the last year of the Exeter Assay Office. I don’t know how rare or common this mark is, but after looking out for one for years, I was really pleased to find this spoon.

1289 troy pounds of silver went through the Exeter Assay Office in that (incomplete) assay year. That's about 30,000 teaspoons. How much of that is still around today is another question. I've not seen much, I must say.

Miles

Thanks Miles. I thought you might know. I can account for one tea spoon, so I will keep a look out for the other 29,999.

Merry Christmas.

Paul.

I always find it odd that the Exeter office was ever closed down. When their figures are compared to that of the Newcastle office, then Exeter were doing reasonably good business. If it was anything to do with the fact that so much of their assaying was just for one customer, then they would be surprised at how some hallmarking is carried out these days with the culture of the sub-office. The Sheffield Assay Office were the first, I believe, to set up a sub-office at Carrs of Sheffield, this was followed by the Birmingham Assay Office setting up in the premises of Curteis Ltd., at Ellesmere, Shropshire, and then at QVC (the TV shopping channel), Family Jewels, Optima, Cooksons, Gecko, Argos, QVC, and Domino. London also have two sub-offices at Hatton Garden and at Brinks Heathrow.

Trev.

Just to update the above information regarding Satellite offices, the Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office have officially opened a new hallmarking facility at the Dalston-based jewellery manufacturer, Allied Gold Ltd. on the 17th March of this year.

Trev.

This is a simple fiddle table fork from 1885, the last year of the Exeter Assy Office. The puzzle is the maker, who appears to be Hilliard & Thompson of Birmingham. I have never seen anything else by this maker from Exeter or any other assay office. Am I alone in this?

Paul.

Hi Paul,

I wonder if this may be a simple case of Hilliard & Thomason outsourcing business to J. & J. Williams of Bristol, the later may have registered the 'H & T' mark with the Exeter office and supplied the finished product to their Birmingham counterparts. I believe a very large majority of items that passed through the Exeter office in their later years was the output of the William's factory.

Hilliard & Thomason were also registered with the Chester Assay Office.

Trev.

Hello Trev,

That does rather makes some sense. At first sight I thought that to was H&T overstriking another mark, but on closer inspection it is just a bad punch. I did eventually find Hilliard and Thomason in Birmingham and Chester, where Maurice Ridgeway also has them as Hilliard & Thomson, with their mark on caddy spoons and thimbles, so by a great leap of assumption, it would make sense for them to out source to J. & J. Williams for standard pieces such as fiddle table forks. Comparing it to other table forks by J. & J. Williams , it is identical, whilst differing slightly to some which I have by John Stone and Richard Ferris.

Another puzzle solved. Although it would be nice to see a record of journeymans’ marks for J. & J. Williams.

Paul.

Hi Paul and Trev,

On the Exeter Assay Office copper plates (recording the makers/retailers who registered there), there are the marks of many large companies from as far afield as Ireland and Scotland. As you say, the most likely scenario is that the Williams firm was manufacturing for them and stamping the retailers' marks on the piece before going to assay. Not strictly allowed, but rules were a little more lax in Exeter.

Miles