Customer Reviews

Pocket Edition Jackson's Hallmarks

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

 

 

This is a great little book to take antiquing with you if you collect English silver. Although not exactly pocket size it can still fit in your bag or you can hold on to it without it getting cumbersome. Unlike many of the other silver ID books the hallmarks shown in this book are large and clear enough that you don't need your glasses to decipher them. A nice plus is that it reviews selected makers of Georgian through 20th Century silver and offers a little comment on their work.

Unless you are extremely experienced with Silver and Gold items and what / where their origin may be, this book is probably not for you. The chances of being able to find what you are looking for reminds me of looking for a needle in a haystack. The marks are illustrated in VERY SMALL 1/4" black and white diagrams, column after column, put in tables with time period or comment in print that is even smaller than the diagram. Several (bordering on too many) of the marks look very much the same and after looking at 170 pgs of extremely small and not necessarily clear diagrams and images, I feel I should of spent my money elsewhere for info on silver ID.

There are two books on English silver hallmarks available on Amazon, the other being English Silver Hallmarks, and although both are excellent books, in my opinion, this is the lesser of the two. Both books are almost identical in content: both provide illustrations of English, Irish and Scottish silver, gold and platinum hallmarks, and illustrations of the more important makers marks, which allow for the dating of silver, gold and platinum items. However, this book omits Sheffield plate marks, which are included in "English Silver Hallmarks", and it is harder to find what you are looking for in this book.

The periods of time covered by these two books are slightly different. This book gives hallmarks for the period from 1300 to 1991, whereas "English Silver Hallmarks" covers the period from 1554 to 2004. If you are wishing to date very early pieces of silver, then, clearly, this is the book to buy. However, as I have never had any need to date items made prior to 1554, and most of the items that I have dated have been more recent items, I find the period of time covered by "English Silver Hallmarks" to be the most appropriate for my needs.

Although both books are very useful and both are likely to satisfy the requirements of the average silver collector, if you are only going to buy one of these books, then "English Silver Hallmarks" is probably the book to buy.

My wife has been looking for a pocket edition of this book far a long time. It was purchased as a Christmas gift, so I think she's just love it.

It is bigger than one would expect for a pocket size book. Looks like a valuable aid to have. I would love it if this was produced into a kindle book!

This book is good for anyone on the go. Can be carried in your pocket and referred to on a moments notice.

I have both the Judith Banister paperback called "English Silver Hallmarks" and Jackson's Pocket Edition, and I find the Jackson's easier to use and I think the drawings of the date letter marks are clearer in Jackson's. I bought the Banister book because all of the makers' marks are included in one combined list, instead of separate lists for each assay office. I do prefer the combined list in the Banister book, but Banister attempts to alphabetize the list by the maker's LAST name, which surprisingly makes it harder to use, since one mark can include several last name initials, and I don't know which one to look for. Jackson's, on the other hand, lists the marks by the FIRST initial of the mark, so there is no doubt where in the alphabet to look; but the maker you are seeking might not be shown at a particular assay office, and might be listed only in London.

Not easy for any beginner to use. Unless you knew exactly what kind of silver you were trying to identify i.e. English, Scottish, Irish... etc, it was a bit confusing. Marks are black & white, some not showing very good clarity and everything is in extremely in small print. If you just want to sort through tons of marks and dates, this may be for you. If you want information about your piece, pass it up.

This is a great little book!
Easy to use to look up maker's marks while out antiquing, or at auctions, or what-have-you.
I just wish there was a section of Russian Silversmiths Marks. But other than that... A+!

The order was shipped very quickly. So quickly in fact my Mother didn't even realize she had already received the book. Luckily she found it where her husband said he put it. Thank you.