Help

[Garnet]

Can anyone tell me what these marks on gold/silver items are for:

walking lion.........rosette.........and the letter 'P' :confused

thanks in advance as they say. G. :).

[Tugmistress]

they denote the assayers office and year, in other words it's part of the hall mark

[spurtle]

The lion means it's solid siver, the rose will be an assay office and will be the date letter, depending on the script
http://www.assayoffice.co.uk/Library-and-Sliver-Collection/Mark_Identification.asp
This site may help, the rose looks as if it's sheffield

[John Little]

Walking lion is 95.5% silver or gold. P is year 1950. Don't know rosette.

Oh it's the assay office mark.

[Kodiak]

Sterling silver .925

This is denoted by the Lion Passant mark in England
http://www.silver-collector.com/images/hallmarks/england.gif

Sheffield used the Crown mark until the introduction of the hallmarking act of 1973, and then after 1975 the rosette mark is seen
http://www.silver-collector.com/images/hallmarks/sheffield_post1975.jpg

The Letter P for Sheffield and Sterling Silver is 1989

[John Little]

http://www.jewellerycatalogue.co.uk/gold/date_letters.php


Confusing area!

[Garnet]

Thank-you all for replying so speedily (phew) so it seems to be Sheffield, rose for England and P for date 1970 roughly, so....my next question for you all is why would these 3 letters be on what's described (and looks like) as a Caithness Glass item, I would have thoughtthat Scotland etc would have their own marks, just more :confused as you say Mr JL. G.

[Kodiak]

It cant be 1970 as Sheffield never used the Rosette until 1975. The letter P for Shefield and Sterling Silver is 1989.

Every assay office had their own Letters for dates so a P for sheffield would be a different date to London.

Scotland does have its own Assay Office, ie Edinburgh. It is very possible for a Scottish object to have a Sheffield mark as this only means where it was assayed and not where it was made. Quite often objects move around and the owner of it might have lived in England when it was assayed.

[Garnet]

Thank-you Kodiak, and everyone else I think I've got the hang of it now :roll: so it's perfectly possible this item is a genuine CG item. G.