I see this on what I think is an old base for a candlestick or oil lamp.
Having found something similar under James Dixon marks I assume it is theirs.
Any ideas on what it denotes? Perhaps the initials of the silversmith.
Thanks,
DR
It’s a British registration mark denoting an item constructed in metal registered on 25th November 1880 (second picture)
19th October 1869 (1st picture)
Thanks red6,
Apparently 1880 is the year that the designs of Christopher Dresser’s (mentioned in that second photo) started to be produced.
So I’m assuming that this reg mark, which does not appear very often, appears when a particular design is being registered. I’d imagine the mid to late 1800s was when the formal registration of trade marks really began to develop with the industrial revolution.
How are you computing the month and year from that?
Here’s one write-up, but a search will reveal lots of others.
The mark was used by thousands of companies, and by itself, tells you nothing about the identity of the maker.
ETA: In 1884, as that source tells us, the system was abandoned in favor of simply stamping the registration number on the piece.
ETA: And another source, with a cross-index:
Thanks for pointing out that website.
