Hello!
i am having difficulty dating this mark on a spoon as the shape of the lozenge is throwing me off. Is it 1798 Edinburgh? The maker is of course too worn to confirm but perhaps the date will help me find it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers!
Yes, I read this as 1798 too. I think the maker’s mark may be upside down - could it be ID for James Dempster? I have also seen a similar mark with the initials IP in an oval punch on a 1797 spoon, but have not identified it.
Thank-you very much for your prompt response!
i do not see much Scottish silver and could find no example of the chamfered town lozenge (vs shields) and there is not much, at least that i could find, on-line regarding the Scottish assay marks.
The maker mark seems to be struck inverted with the first letter R. i will have to look at it again and will update.
Thanks again!
For what it’s worth, the first letter is definitely an R, but the remaining letter(s) are too worn to discern.
Could be RG for Robert Gray, a Glasgow silversmith who was using the Edinburgh assay office at this period and one of whose marks was in an oval punch. But we’ll probably never be sure.
Thanks again.
i am assuming it has to do with period, but could you confirm for me the difference between the thistle in shield vs. chamfered lozenge?
Sorry I have no answer for your question. Both punch shapes seem to have been used fairly indiscriminately.