English hallmarked sterling silver canteen of cutlery for twelve persons beaded pattern, in fitted timber box, Sheffield, 1975-79, maker Roberts & Belk Ltd Consisting of: twelve main knives, twelve main forks, twelve entree knives, twelve entree forks, twelve fish knives, twelve fish forks, twelve dessert spoons, twelve soup spoons, twelve coffee spoons, twelve teaspoons, four serving spoons, soup ladle, butter knife, carving knife, carving fork & knife sharper total weight 5.820kg (not including main knives, entree knives, butter knife, carving knife, carving fork & knife sharper)
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- Canteen - A small cabinet, table or a box with drawers or lift out trays, for storing a set of cutlery.
- 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.
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