Hello again :) Can anyone help with another hallmark?

Hi, this is my second post / question, (no luck so far with the first mystery). I’m new here and not sure of forum etiquette so hope it’s ok to post another query? Anyway, I’d like some help identifying a little ‘cream jug’ (I think that’s what it is)? It appears to be silver ? and Victorian? - it has a hallmark which I think is Birmingham (anchor) and the date letter seems to be R … I can’t make out the maker’s initials properly and am unsure of the value? I bought it on a ‘well-known online auction site’ so am hoping I didn’t pay too much for it. It also has an inscription (August 5th - 1875 - 1900) but I thought the R meant it was made in 1866? There is also a little ‘V’ type mark on the base? Can anyone help with any info at all …

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

PS It’s also very grubby and I’ve no idea how to clean it, or is it best left as it is?
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A belated welcome to the forum. It’s fine to post as many queries as you like but regrettably this forum is down a bit on experts so you may not always get a reply.

I can certainly help a little with this query as I’m pretty sure that the date letter is actually a lower case “a” which, as it’s the date code for 1900, fits very nicely with the inscription. Unfortunately though I can’t make out the maker’s mark. When you have cleaned your jug, as you most certainly must do, you may be able to get a clearer picture of the mark which you can post.

Silver is supposed to be shiny - tarnish on silver is not like patina on bronze (something to be desired), it’s more like rust on iron or steel. To clean your jug I suggest a good quality silver polish and, to get into the crevices where the tarnish has built up over the years, gentle use of an old toothbrush which is too soft to use on teeth.

One of our contributors has written a very useful and comprehensive guide to cleaning silver here.