Check my work & help with makers mark,

Hello all.

I don’t have much experience with British silver. From info I’ve found on the internet, I think this berry spoon is sterling, and was made in London in 1805. Am I correct on this info?

Couldn’t really decipher the makers mark. Tried looking up ML, HL, NL but to no avail. Does anyone recognize it?

Also, I read that berry spoons made specifically for that purpose are c.1840 or later. Earlier marks mean that it was a plain spoon that was decorated some later date.

Any corrections, guidance and other information would me much appreciated.

Thank you!

Actually, I think I found makers mark… If turn spoon upside down, looks like TW.

Thomas Wallace II

Yes, Wallis’s mark fools a lot of people. And you have correctly identified the hallmark.

Your information about the later decoration of plain spoons is also correct. The Victorians were responsible for “decorating” (or vandalising) a lot of perfectly innocent spoons. They didn’t even necessarily bother to get matching sets - I have seen pairs of berry spoons with matching decorations which were not even hallmarked by the same assay office!

Your query prompts me to add Wallis’s mark upside down as “ML” to my site - it should help other people with identification.

Phil