George V sterling silver sugar castor hallmarked Birmingham 1933, maker: Adie Brothers Ltd, retailer Mappin & Webb rd no 784063, approximate total weight 144 grams
- Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
- Registered Numbers - Between 1842 and 1883, a diamond- shaped mark was used to identify items as British-made, which classified the item according to the material from which it was manufactured, as well as the date of registration. This system was discontinued in 1884 when a numbering system was introduced.
Design registration is for "what and item looks like", and is not a patent ("how something works") or trade mark ("what it is called").
The registered number is usually on an under-surface of an object (on the base of ceramics) and oftern shown as "Rd. No. 99999", sometimes surrounded by a rectangular box.
The table below lists the year, and the first registered number for that year:
1884 1
1885 18,993
1886 39,547
1887 61,207
1888 87,266
1889 111,664
1890 140,481
1891 160,613
1892 183,259
1893 203,348
1894 223,861
1895 244,726
1896 266,237
1897 288,848
1898 309,956
1899 328,527
1900 349,120
1901 367,628
1902 380,979
1903 401,944
1904 422,489
1905 428,004
1906 469,160
1907 486,464
1908 516,375
1909 533,561
1910 546,084
1911 561,570
1912 585,707
1913 608,541
1914 627,887
1915 642,613
1916 651,079
1917 655,001
1918 662,576
1919 665,728
1920 664,869
1921 676,491
1922 685,412
1923 691,571
1924 695,944
1925 705,943
1926 716,386
1927 723,430
1928 725,899
1929 740,459
1930 741,336
1931 757,945
1932 767,110
- George V - George V (1865 – 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 1910 until his death in 1936.
- Hallmarks - A mark stamped on articles of precious metals in Britain, since the 14th century, certifying their purity. It derives its name from the Guild Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, who recieved its Charter in 1327 giving it the power to assay (test the purity) and mark articles of gold and silver.
The hallmark will consist of several marks, including the:
- silver standard mark, indicating the purity of the metal. Sterling silver is .925 pure silver.
- the city mark indicating the city in which it was assayed eg London, Birmingham, York etc.
- the date mark, usually a letter of the alphabet in a particular font and case,
- a duty mark, indicating whether duty had been paid to the crown, and only in use from 1784 to 1890
The piece may include an additional mark, the maker's mark, although not forming part of the hallmark, will be located in the vicinity of the hallmarks.
Sometimes silver plated items will bear faux hallmarks, often confusing those not familiar with silver markings.
This item has been included into following indexes: