Hallmark: A History of the London Assay Office [Hardcover]

John S. Forbes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2006

Testing articles made of precious metals and stamping them with hallmarks to indicate they are of a minimum standard of purity has been carried out by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths for seven centuries. The minute books of the Company, the core of the present study, provide an almost unbroken record since the 1330s, and names prominent in the Company's affairs include Isaac Newton, Charles II, Paul de Lamerie, the Vyners and the Garrards.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Forbes, who served as head of the London Assay Office for 30 years, focuses on the London office but in the process provides a full history of English hallmarking, i.e., the assaying of silver articles and their stamping/marking by the Goldsmith's Company at its hall. The result is a history of the enforcement of a standard for silver--one of the oldest continuous forms of consumer protection. The date year, symbolized by a letter of the alphabet within a shield, each changing regularly, now provides the collector with the exact date of manufacture. Yet it was originally adopted to identify the year of manufacture so that, should a substandard article be uncovered, the officials who presided over the assay could be held responsible. Carefully researched and clearly written, this book is filled with fascinating stories of people and events, of corruption and cunning. Undoubtedly, it will remain the standard on the subject for decades to come and should be included in public as well as academic libraries.
-Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 367 pages
• Publisher: Third Millenium Pub Ltd (July 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0906290260
• ISBN-13: 978-0906290262
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,073,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hallmarks on English Silver, January 3, 2000

By 

Martin Chasin (Fairfield, Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hallmark: A History of the London Assay Office (Hardcover)

J.S. Forbes spent some thirty years as head of the London Assay office in charge of testing and marking silver and gold objects. The volume, which has been thoroughly researched traces the history of the assaying of silver objects from the thirteenth century to the present. Although limited to the London assay office the book necessarily traces the work of all the assay offices. The author shows how silver objects were tested for metal content and then marked with the sterling standard for 925 grams of silver per 1000 or with the Britannia standard for a higher silver content. He then shows the development of the symbols,i.e. the lion passant for steling, the symbol for the city of London, and the addition of the date year. Interestingly, the date year is a great benefit to the collector and historian who thereby knows the exact date of production. However, the year was added so that if articles were found to be below standard the officers in charge for that year could be identified. Forbes shows how the Goldsmnith's Company in LKondon gained and retained control of the hallmarking to the present day. The book is clearly written and well researched. It is a miust for anyone interested in English silver and is unlikely to be replaced as a standard refernce work.