Sterling Silver Caster and Pounce Pot Set
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A sterling silver caster and a sterling pounce pot, 1911 Birmingham, with maker's marks for Joseph Gloster Ltd, a baluster shaped pounce pot with a pull off low domed lid with petite star perforations, hallmarked to neck, and 1911 Sheffield, with maker's marks for Lee & Wigfull, a baluster shaped sugar caster with a pierced domed lid, applied decorations to the body and raised on a stepped pedestal, hallmarked to neck, silver weight 369gr height 19 cm, and smaller
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- Pounce - Pounce is a finely ground powder made from a mixture of salt, sand, talc, pumice and soapstone. It was used in the era before the invention of blotting paper and was sprinkled over wet ink to speed up the drying process. It was commonly stored in a pounce pot, a container similar to a salt shaker, but with a concave top to allow the unused pounce to be returned to the container. The containers were made wood, silver or ceramic, and were sometimes a component of an inkstand.
- Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
- Hallmarks - A mark stamped on articles of precious metals in Britain, since the 14th century, certifying their purity. It derives its name from the Guild Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, who recieved its Charter in 1327 giving it the power to assay (test the purity) and mark articles of gold and silver.
The hallmark will consist of several marks, including the:
- silver standard mark, indicating the purity of the metal. Sterling silver is .925 pure silver.
- the city mark indicating the city in which it was assayed eg London, Birmingham, York etc.
- the date mark, usually a letter of the alphabet in a particular font and case,
- a duty mark, indicating whether duty had been paid to the crown, and only in use from 1784 to 1890
The piece may include an additional mark, the maker's mark, although not forming part of the hallmark, will be located in the vicinity of the hallmarks.
Sometimes silver plated items will bear faux hallmarks, often confusing those not familiar with silver markings. - Caster - Casters are so-called because they ?cast? their contents over food. They consist of a container, usually in silver or pewter with a removable perforated top which allows for the sprinkling of condiments such as sugar, pepper and nutmeg.
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