Hi there,
I just got this lovely locket. I’m new to collecting silver pieces and no idea how to read the date marks. I know the anchor is for Birmingham, but aside from that I’m lost. It looks kind of like there’s a lower-case letter h and there’s also a clear lion figure, along with the initials JM.
Any help identifying the date or maker would be much, much, appreciated,
Dolly
Your picture is not clear enough to confirm the date letter but the form of the hallmark indicates that it must be between 1890 and 1899. Before 1890 there would also have been a duty mark and after 1899 the anchor would have been vertical. This means that the date letter must be in the range p - z. My inclination is that it may be v for 1895 (take a look at this recent topic to see an example of the 1895 v).
Unfortunately I cannot identify the maker as there are no comprehensive references to Birmingham makers’ marks - and your picture is not really clear enough to see the details of the mark.
Thank you so much for responding, that is helpful. I have a clearer picture. I don’t think it looks like a V though. Really appeaciate your help, Dolly
Yes, it probably is h for 1882. From about 1879 Birmingham allowed hallmarking of items below the dutiable limit and therefore omitted the duty mark on such items. Your locket must be smaller than limit, which I have seen variously quoted as being 5 or 10 dwt (pennyweights) (7.8 or 15.5 grams).
