Birmingham 1907 Sterling Silver Miniature Sofa and Chair Set
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
- 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. - 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.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
A Chinese rosewood and ivory Guanyin, late Qing Dynasty, 19th to early 20th century, the serene standing Guanyin, beautifully rendered utilising the natural flowing grain of the timber to emphasise the soft and elegant drape of the gown, the figure with ti
Scottish silver bowl with Australian Hallmarks, Drummond Melbourne
A pair of Regency silver and silver gilt goblets, maker I.R., London, 1805, (2), each exterior rim bright-cut engraved with a leaf and bud design, above two ribbon bows supporting a cartouche with engraved crest and between foliate garlands, raised on circ
A ritual head-dress, Nepal, 20th century, (2), the gilt metal surround with applied medallions depicting Bodhisattvas and Vairocana in the centre extending to looped ear-like pendants, the upper dome surmounted by a half vajra, perspex stand, (2), 49 cm hi