www.925-1000.com

Hi

Can anyone help me identify this date letter? It looks like a y backwards. The item is a silver penknife.

Thank you
Em

Hello there,
This is a Sheffield piece and dates to 1916-17 . The date letter is a Y . Hope this helps!

Joe

Hi Joe

Many thanks for your help - thats great.

Em

Hi Sadmark,
That's a handsome fruit knife. I've read that Victorian and Edwardian gentlemen carried them to deal with an apple or pear, while on the run. The sterling blade not being strong or sharp enough to handle much else besides fruit, sometimes they have a second blade with a curved pick at the end for getting the meat out of nutshells.
Come to think of it, I've seen some with women's names engraved, so I guess the ladies used them as well.

IO

Hi Sadmark,
The date letter matches the date letter for Birmingham's assay office for 1898.
Since another web site describes the separation of Birmingham's assay office from Sheffield's in 1773, I suspect Birmingham's assay office used Sheffield's date letters. The difference between the two offices, according to the information I found in http://www.silverware-shop.co.uk/about_us.html, was that Birmingham uses the anchor halllmark and Sheffield kept the crown hallmark.

Hope this helps.

Hi Jim C,

There's logic to your theory, but Birmingham used their own brand of logic and started with letter A in 1773. Sheffield was already into a cycle that year and was up to E at the time. Over the intervening years, due to other discrepencies, their cycles became even more out of kilter. Usually, these cities letter fonts are not even related. The resemblance of these letters is more coincidental than anything else.

Tom

Thank you, Tom.
That makes sense.
If I were setting up shop on my own, I would want to conduct business my own way.

Jim

Jim C.
You are confusing this mark (which is Sheffield 1916-17) The fruit knife style is from an earlier period but you are not correct on the hallmarks. Keep up your research but be carefull to pay attention to details! Thanks!

Joe