Please can someone help

1

I have a sterling silver condiment set in its original box. The makers mark is J&RG which I think is Joseph and Richard Griffin. Unfortunately I can’t get a decent photo of the hallmark but it looks more like a Chester hallmark than Birmingham. The year letter on 3 of the items is an italic N which looks like 1913. The two bowls and original spoon have a totally different symbol for the date which could possibly be an O but is not exactly the one listed… Would these makers be in Chester at that time and why would part of the set appear to have a different date on them?

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PS I managed a photo of the hallmark on one of the bowls!

2

I can confirm that the hallmark in your picture is Chester 1913. Assuming that the other is the 1914 O then this merely shows that the condiment set was assembled from a set of previously assayed pieces already in stock. J & R Griffin were a Birmingham company but many Birmingham silversmiths used the Chester Assay Office (CAO) as an alternative to Birmingham. CAO had agents’ offices in Birmingham and promised a faster turn-round time than Birmingham.

Phil

3

Thank you so much - it confirms my assumption!