Customer Reviews

Jackson's Silver and Gold Marks of England, Scotland & Ireland

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jackson's book is the definitive reference for the serious collector of English silver. It clearly explains the English silver standards, and provides a basis for understanding the silver standards of the world. It provides an in depth history of the development of the English system of hallmarks and provides a detailed study of intricate hallmark variations. A must in dating English silver.

Having had the smaller pocket-version of this book, I found the larger one disappointing. Although it has an endless supply of lesser known makers, it is much harder to locate their synbols/names as they are not listed alphabetically (as in the pocket version) but listed on the date that particular company was registered with the guild. In other words you could find a piece of silver with the date letter of 1852 and the maker's mark IB. Instead of just looking up the IB's alphabetically and comparing those symbols with the silver in your hand, you must look up IB in the index (there are 53 different references in this case) and check each corresponding page to see if it's the same as the one you have. It's just not as easy - maybe I'm being lazy. Anyway...

This book is a must for any dealer, collector, appraiser or precious metal enthusiast. It covers the hallmarks and many makers marks of the United Kingdom in detail. Dates covered in the 2005 edition are from 1300 - 1989.

Amazon.com offers "Jackson's Silver and Gold Marks of England, Scotland and Ireland" 2nd hand for a fair price compared to my local bookstores. Although not of great use if you collect English silver items late 19th century, it is a great book about the history of the British hallmark system and early silversmiths.

I gave 5 stars for it for a huge amount of very interesting and important material gathered in it. However despite some improvements of the catalogisation of hallmarks in this book it is not very easy to find what you are looking for. The Arthur Grimwade's London Goldsmiths 1697-1837 is definitely much more easier to use for quick reference but unfortunately it is limited to London registers.

This book is a must for the dealer or collector of Gold and Silver items. Without it you will be searching in the dark for information on pieces that can make you money or add to the value of your collection.