Ring box help with date and markings

abigail · Post by **abigail** » Tue May 19, 2009 8:39 am

I have what I believe is an old ring box that I have found in my late mothers posessions.
Through looking at the hallmark and searching the information on this site I believe that it is from the chester assay office and made by Synyer & Beddoes.
It appears to have the letter z, S*B, lion, two what look like wheatsheafs either side of a sword and next to this another mark which is not at all clear.
I would love to know the date and any information about the markings if anyone can help.

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MCB · Post by **MCB** » Tue May 19, 2009 10:59 am

Hello Abigail,

Welcome to the forum.
As to the markings on the box:
1. The Z is likely to be the mark of the journeyman who made it.
2. S*B was registered at the Chester Assay Office in 1905 by Harry Syner & Charles J Beddoes of 32 Vyse Street Birmingham.They sent the box to assay.
3 The lion passant shows the box is of the correct silver standard.
4. The shield shape is the Chester Assay Office mark.
5. The right hand mark would have been the date letter for the year the box was assayed. Unfortunately I can't make it out. At a guess it might be the W for 1922-3. You might try moving the box around; the letter might become clearer. Or breathe on it! That sometimes works too.
Usually the lid of a box carries another lion passant and date letter which might be clearer but these may be inside the lid and covered with material. I wouldn't recommend trying to prise any material away.

Mike
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abigail · Post by **abigail** » Wed May 20, 2009 9:26 am

Mike, thankyou for your information. Unfortunately as you say the right hand mark is not at all clear even when held at different angles and there are no visible markings anywhere else on the box. It possibly looks like the shape of an m on the top? although it looks more like a block plain letter than scrolled if that makes any sense.
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MCB · Post by **MCB** » Wed May 20, 2009 1:38 pm

Hello again Abigail,

The shape of the lion passant mark would have given a better clue to the date letter sequence if only the base of it wasn't so rubbed (the shape of this changed in 1926).
The general form of the lion looks to me like the one in use between 1901 and 1926.
The sequence of letters from 1926-51 were not roman ones as you might have inferred and the S*B mark registration date 1905 would almost certainly rule out the pre-1901 sequence.
As said previously my best guess is the script W for 1922-3 but I could be wrong!

Mike
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abigail · Post by **abigail** » Thu May 21, 2009 4:50 am

Thank you so much for your help Mike, it has been very interesting. Think I may just go up in the attic and see what other objects are up there.
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