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I recently recieved this very nice Sterling tongs with a mark I am having trouble with. F.M. as to maker, what looks like a duty mark, lion and date code G. Am I on the right track as to it being English? Any help as to to the maker would be of great help also.
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Hi,

Its a bit difficult to see - do you have a better picture of the marks? It would also help to see a picture of the tongs themselves. On the face of it, this does not look like a British hallmark for the following reasons:

The Date letter G should probably be in some form of shield shaped punch. The Lion looks a bit odd! The duty mark also looks to be in the wrong shaped punch. Apart from all that, I don't know who "FM" could be.

Sorry I can't be very positive, but a better picture may help.

Regards
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Though the maker's mark doesn't quite match the one in Ensko IV (only one period, after the F), I'm guessing it's coin silver by Frederick Marquand of New York, starting 1823. The funky pseudo-hallmarks seem to be quite similar.

SS
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Here is a picture of the tongs and a better pic of the marks. It measures 6.5" long. Thanks for any assistance you can provide.
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I can confirm Frederick Marquand, the elongated second period after the M is distinctive. See William Voss's page: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com ... /67822.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Thank you very much for the assistance. The piece is Sterling as tested and you are spot on in your identification - thanks again.
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