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Hi Guys
I wonder if anyone would hazard a guess at the date of this small ladle which I presume carries a Dublin hallmark. The Maker is MK but the other two marks are fairly rubbed. I am wondering if possibly the date letter could be 1694 but I could be way off.
Any guesstimates gratefully received.
19.6g 13cm
Gary
Nowhere near as old as that.
MK: Michael Keating.
Dublin: 1766-1802.
As no date letter, but going by other marks and his last known working year, spoon could be between 1794-1802.
Michael Keating appeared in court in 1776, accused of a counterfeiting a Duty mark. The Duty mark at this time in Ireland was the figure of Hibernia, it was introduced in 1730 following an Act of Parliament in 1729 that imposed a Duty of 6d. per ounce on gold and silver. In reality it was not a Government mark, but a mark used by the Dublin Company to denote that the Duty had been paid, but it would appear that as time passed the Revenue Commissioners believed it was their mark and bought about the prosecution. This was a very important difference, and it was this technicality that Keating's defence worked on and got him acquitted although the entire Hallmark was a forgery, much to the fury of the Revenue Commissioners.
The following year, 1777, the Commissioners acquired another example of a Keating forgery and this time they tried him for counterfeiting the Harp Crowned and were successful getting the result that they desired.
Cheers Trev
Appreciated.
I wonder if, given the MK is clear but the crowned harp and probably the Hibernia mark are rubbed, whether these are further examples of Keating
forgeries and in fact he was a serial forger.
Gary
Michael Keating was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and fined a massive £50, a fortune at the time, following the court case in 1777. I think the fact he bounced back from this shows the extent of his business.
