I recently sold a 25 year old cask of Scottish whisky through Mark. The duty marked was discontinued in 1890 when the tax on silver was abolished. We were kept informed of what was going. old Britannia marked silver is quite rare and collectible and therefore command a slightly higher price. He provides a professional, friendly and responsive service. Gold had to be at least 19.2 carats.

!Thanks Mark . If you have whisky to sell, I would make Mark Littler your first choice to handle things for you. Process was painless and communication was outstanding. Have already recommended their service to a friend. of taking the brief. apply.

The duty mark was only struck in certain years and when found, will take the form of either a King or Queens head, depending on who was on the throne at the time. Mark provided us with an excellent service for the sale of a cask of Springbank Whisky. Hallmarks are applied with a hammer and punch, a process that leaves sharp edges and spurs of metal. Very happy with the service that Mark provides. used as a guide only, and we recommend using the Bradbury's Book of Hallmarks (ISBN # 0953174123). Highly recommended. Very excited and looking forward to see how the whisky matures. This website is a great tool for cross-referencing makers marks. 1934/5 Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary, 1977 Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, 2002 Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, 2011/12 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. knowledgeable and efficient, and kept us informed in a friendly way at each step of the process. The reintroduction of the sterling silver mark led to some confusion over the correct composition of the makers marks.

At Mark Littler LTD we are experts in all things silver, and we can help you to read silver hallmarks and ascertain the origin of your silver. This led to an overhaul in the system used for assaying, and the establishment of the first assay office which was overseen by a Common Assayer. First class service from Mark and his team from start to finish.Knowledgeable and innovative when selling 60 bottles of single cask whisky for me. We can recommend the book 'London Right from valuation through to sale and payment he kept me. Mark even took the time to personally collect some sample drawings from the distillery and ship to me. Recently, I made enquiries with Mark about buying a whisky cask.He very promptly answered allmy questions and gave me all the information Ineeded. They will definitely be hearing from us again. Mark was very helpful to get a good deal done and about a year ago we became proud owners of a cask of. I would highly recommend their services to anyone. The sale of my whisky collection was made so easy, and a fast payment was made directly into my bank after the sale was completed.If you are looking to sell your whisky don't waste your time looking anywhere else. I sold my Bruichladdich hogshead cask through Mark and can highly recommend his services. silver jamet cutlery anything mean collector Sending off rare bottles of whisky in the post is a scary thing, but the delivery system was efficient and very secure, and the way the contract was handled was very reassuring. If only it was this easy when dealing with larger organisations. while Mark managed to get a good price for the cask in a fairly short time period. His estimate of the value of the cask was spot on.I would have no hesitation in using his professional services again. It is thought that the term hallmark comes from the use of the Goldsmiths Hall as the first assay office. (Yes I'm that guy who was plastered over the media)Mark did a great job of getting professional photos taken of them and creating a PR buzz around the collection and I even ended up on BBC breakfast news, lad bible, and various radio stations around the world.At one point my story was the second most viewed story on BBC world wide news app for the whole weekend with over 2 million views.Needless to say within a day or two of this PR Campaign there was numerous offers.I would like to thank Mark for all his work and helping me with everything. Beth for a very pleasant experience. [citation needed], The United States also had no date marking system. If you want to learn more about silver-smithing then click here. Pleasure doing business with you ! Mark.My father gave me 1 bottle each year for a birthday present so that by the time that I was 18 I would have 18 bottles of 18 year old Macallan. He made the often administratively tricky process of whisky cask sales seamless for us & the whole transaction was extremely efficient. Until the 18th century, the silversmith's work was only fashioned from precious metals, gold and silver. Recently had to sell a limited edition signed print . If only it was this easy when dealing with larger organisations. Simple!I could not be more delighted and would not hesitate to come back to you if need be, or to recommend you and the company very highly on every level. As part of the service Mark facilitated the gauging, sampling and selling of the barrel and also coordinated for me to receive a few bottles of this amber nectar for my own consumption. Note that dublin is unique in using the same mark for the town mark and the standard mark. The four standard marks of a hallmark were thestandard/purity mark, theassay office symbol, thedate letterand themaker's mark. Mark is extremely knowledgeable on both the distillery side and the market, evident with the excellent price achieved. French silver also is punched with the mark of the maker, by law in the shape of a lozenge, usually with the maker's initials and a symbol. The marks illustrated are for Edinburgh 1752 by William Davie with the additional mark of Hugh Gordon assay master. In that year and the following year, the head faced left and was debossed rather than embossed. Sequences of historical marks for the following offices can be viewed through the links below (reproduced courtesy of the British Hallmarking Council). (They definitely seemed to be able to offer more options than most of the other dealers I contacted.) , the large-scale manufacturing and the increased use of machines for silver production in Birmingham and Sheffield led to calls for assay offices in these cities. the lion passant guardant (head facing towards the viewer) was introduced. A great service, efficient and honest. Mark recently sold a 26 year old cask of Ardbeg for me. Since 1739 the standard composition of a makers mark has been the initials of the maker. I would definitely recommend Mark Littler. Delighted to have discovered him during an internet search researching how best to sell two casks of 50 year old Scottish whiskey. Highly recommended. As an example, the date letter for 1898 in London is a lowercase c, in Sheffield it is a lowercase 'f' and in Birmingham it is a lowercase y.

recommend using mark little Ltd. Will be in touch again in the future. 375. For example Highly recommended! With the letter changing each year you would expect only 26 options, but after each cycle the Made selling my bottle a pleasurable experience. His advice and service has been excellent, and we have been absolutely delighted to deal with Mark and Hannah. They assisted through the whole process and was very helpful every step of the way.

Below is list of marks applied by provincial assay offices which have now ceased operating: Marks: a crowned X or a three-turreted castle, Mark: a crowned lion passant and a crowned rosette, Mark: half leopard's head, half fleur de lys and later five lions passant on a cross. precisely date electroplated silverware. Before the advent of mass transport and efficient communications there were many assay offices dotted around Britain to enable silversmiths to hallmark One of the main factors that affects the value of your antique silver is the type of object itself. He has kept me informed along the journey which has been an exciting one. The process of selling my whisky collection has been clear and remarkably easy and efficient. From the initial contact, to the offer, the packaging & carriage arrangements, to the conclusion of the sale, all were expertly handled. The gold standard was lowered to 18ct.

Mark was true to his word when he advised how long the process would take with selling our Cask of Whisky and what we would expect to receive. Mark guided me through each step of the process, providing reasons and insights to ensure I made the correct decisions. Highly recommended. my email.

For the bourbon whiskey, see, Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Maker's Marks, British and Other Worldwide Sterling Marks, A Small Collection of Antique Silver and Objects of vertu, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silver_hallmarks&oldid=1096584482, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, A stamp indicating the purity of the silver is called the, Each silver maker has his or her own, unique. We wanted to buy a private whisky cask. Hannah confirmed receipt and a couple of days later Mark called to confirm that he had just sent the proceeds to me - All very painless! Reading date letters requires a pocket hallmark guide, which you can purchase here. Thank-you! And thats it!

Thank you Mark for all your help and I would certainly use your services again . I decided to contact Mark the following day and within hours he had come straight back to me and offered to work with me to sell my collection. Mark and Hannah were both extremely helpful, completely. Be patient for great returns.When I came to sell my 10yr old Hogshead of whisky Mark was able to obtain a final price for me that was more than three times the sell back figure to Bruichladdich.Professional from the start. I'd thoroughly recommend Mark to anyone looking to buy or, I recently sold some silver cutlery through Mark Littler. Additionally, the stamp is surrounded by two numbers indicating the year. We thoroughly and unhesitatingly recommend anyone considering the use of an independent broker to go to Mark's firm. Communication was quick and courteous. This was changed and makers now had to use the first two letters of their last name. The makers mark tells us in whose factory the item was made, as opposed to the specific person that made the item. Very friendly, professional and helpful, throughout the process and they achieved a what I believe was a very good price for me. I had a cask of 10 year old Bruichladdich to sell. Highly recommended. We recently used Mark Littler to sell old Silver tankards and we could not be happier. Well deserved five star service! Very helpful and responded quickly. Communication was clear and the process to sell my whiskey was. He immediately set me at ease and so I looked no further. Since 1972 the United Kingdom has been a signatory to the International Convention on Hallmarks. Inability to read the date letterwill reduce the value of the spoon. That was until I discovered Mark Littler through an oline post that had been sent to me from a family member, which highlighted a high profile sale Mark had recently been engaged in. The gold standard was lowered to 18ct. Each town or area obviously had a number of registered silversmiths and they all had their individual marks, which they sometimes changed to reflect changes in their Mountbatten Way I was a little apprehensive about posting my 5k bottle from Scotland. Lowry print. Thank you Mark for the professional help you provided In relation to Probate valuation, and the sale of the items. Mark was excellent from start to finish in dealing with our whiskey cask sale. He made the whole process so simple for me. Rarity dictates that Scottish/Irish provincial silver is highly collectable, most obviously in the flatware and hollow wares produced in provincial Ireland and Scotland. He knows the market and had placed the item with a private buyer within days of taking the brief. First class in every way! I recommend his end to end service. It was all very, straight forward, the packaging arrived with very clear instructions. They will definitely be hearing from us again. The warehouse wasnt very helpful so I started to look on the internet for a whisky broker. After the adoption of the sterling standard, pieces were marked with "STERLING", the number "925" or the notation "925/1000". I would, and I would certainly use them again. I decided to contact Mark the following day and within hours he had come straight back to me and offered to work with me to sell my collection. Until then, assay offices changed punches at different times of the year, so most letters were in fact used across two years. Found Mark via a Google search so was a little apprehensive as couldn't meet face to face.

Prompt acknowledgement of our enquiry and settlement within days once a buyer had been found. A tax on silver plate was also introduced during this time, meaning that many goldsmiths went to great lengths to avoid having their pieces properly hallmarked. Selling a high value product of this kind for the first time can be a bit daunting, but Beth and Hannah were extremely helpful and professional. The Industrial Revolution, the invention of An ultra rare mark is theduty drawback markwhich is symbolised by a standing figure of Britannia holding a spear and shield (the uppermost mark in the image below on the marks for a Hester Bateman cream ladle). All goldsmiths had to destroy their old marks and register new ones at the hall, using their initials and a new style of lettering. was very easy to deal with, answered any queries promptly and I would have no hesitation in recommending him. More than happy with the experience.Mark thanks once again. The first silver hallmarking was confined to Goldsmiths Hall in London but in time other assay offices were opened. Goldsmiths outside the capital were also expected to adhere to this standard. According to the law, quality-marked silver also must bear the name or a U.S. registered trademark of the company or person that will stand behind the mark." Went to Mark to source a specific bottle of whisky. Dublins assay office has been operating since the middle of the 17th century and silver is still marked there. They obtained a good price for a private sale. cask. He made the process very simple and completed all the necessary paperwork for me. He immediately set me at ease and so I looked no further. French silver made for export carries an assay mark in the shape of the head of Mercury, along with a number to indicate the millesimal fineness: "1" for .920, "2" for .840 and "3" for .750. English gold and silver articles have been marked by some form of hallmark since the 13th Century. Hallmarks in this period comprised the makers mark, the figure of Britannia, the lions head erased, and the date letter. The inclusion of initial stamps alongside the hallmarks means that most makers can also be identified. If you want to learn more about famous British silversmiths then click here (an ongoing project). Remarkable service. After many phone calls, emails and conversations, I was left feeling very frustrated and bewildered at their lack of communication in general and commitment to providing me with a service. I will be dealing with Mark again in the future. That was until I discovered Mark Littler through an oline post that had been sent to me from a family member, which highlighted a high profile sale Mark had recently been engaged in. From 1786 to Victoria's reign, the King's head Duty Mark always faces right and is embossed like all other hallmarks. Sterling silver in England is represented within a hallmark by alion passantand Britannia standard by a seated figure of Britannia holding a spear and shield. Since hallmarking began, the leopards head has been used in various forms to denote the London Assay Office. The process was handled from start to finish with efficiency and patience on Mark's part. Our family inherited a hogshead of whisky which needed to be sold. You dont need to memorise these marks because they are in Bradburys book of hallmarks. guiding you every step of the way. Good communications and organisation,a pleasure to deal with. Outstanding professional service. Gold and silver products have at least two hallmarks: the state hallmark, or Guarantee, and the manufacturer's hallmark. Great experience from the very friendly and knowledgeable Mark who was able to help me buy a cask, and made the process seamless even during the lock, Mark recently helped to successfully sell my cask of Macallan single malt whisky.From our initial discussion I was impressed with the depth of his. Some traders didnt bother to reply, even though I had sent full. Would heartily recommend. A Statute of 1363 ordained that every master goldsmith (or silversmith) should have his own mark. Over-polishing can rub the hallmarks, but because the standard position, onbottom-struckspoons, of the makers mark is nearest the bowl, it is protected during the sweep of a polishing stroke by the bowl. The whole process was conducted professionally and we were kept well- informed at every stage. Doyouhaveanyquestion? A pleasure doing business. selling a bottle on behalf of my father in law. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Instead, they stamped the silver themselves with a maker's mark, a town mark or combinations of these and other marks. In Britain our system developed about six hundred years ago, when My mother was delighted with the result. His individual care and approach to everything he undertakes on your behalf in providing you with a service is nothing short of exemplary. Communication was excellent from start to finish & we would have no hesitation in highly recommending the service Mark offers. I would therefore not hesitate in recommending this lovely company. He was vey thorough and professional and achieved an excellent price. Thank you so much Mark for all your advice and help, I would strongly recommend Mark to anyone. led me through the process to successfully achieving a good sale and subsequent payment of proceeds - from another part of the world. Blog I have worked with Mark twice now and would highly recommend him. From my first phone call to the completion of my sale the service was exemplary. These are as follows:-. Mark Littler has now sold several bottles for us personally and helped us sell many more through Whisky Auctioneer. Id recommend him to anyone wishing to sell. Mark kept me informed throughout and successfully completed the deal. I would highly recommend Mark to everyone in the art game , Very happy i used Mark Little to handle the sale of my bottle,sent pictures,got offer,accepted offer and a week later received payment. Only left house to go to post office.Would definitely use again and glad i came across his website.

For more information please see separate section onspoon-makers. Great website, lots of useful information. As other assay offices were established in different towns and struck their own identifying marks, it rapidly became possible to look I highly recommend his services and wouldnt hesitate to use him, Thank you so much Mark for your knowledge, help, support and finally arranging the sale of my silver flatware. Thank you, Mark! Most British and Irish silver carries a number of stamps indicating not just the standard or purity mark (typically the lion passant) but also the initials of the maker, a date letter and the place of assay. As such very little silver remains from the pre-Restoration era (1660). handled the whole process very quickly and professionally.

Pieces of silverware with rare town marks are now very collectible and command I have found him to be very professional, knowledgeable, courteous and friendly.I feel lucky to have sounded out Mark as a broker and hope to be using him again in the future. Whilst the evolution of silver hallmarks means that sometimes you will need help identifying specific marks and date ranges, this handy 5-step guide will help you to read and understand the basics of silver hallmarking. If in the market, you can't go wrong with Mark Littler; Great service at a fair price. For vermeil, the maker's mark is accompanied by a V. France has standardized the quality hallmarks since 1983. This is when the idea of assaying for purity was introduced. I recently had the pleasure of dealing with Mark and his colleagues. answered clearly and concisely. For large collections and very high-value items we also have a hand-courier service available. 92.5% silver by weight -The legal standard for silver items since 1238. And he got a great price for me. I would highly recommend Mark Littler to anyone wishing to sell or auction an item. Great service and professionalism. Would use this company again would the need arise, and would recommend Thank you for your help and efficient service. Mark is highly professional and he explained every step of the process clearly.I would highly recommend him and it was pleasure doing business with him. Dont waste time with the others they will just cause exasperation! The alphabet cycle is used to indicate the date of manufacture. I could not have asked for better service, communication or completion of the process. Goldsmiths outside the capital were also expected to adhere to this standard. Prior to this, the first two letters of the makers last name and sometimes objects or devices were used as makers marks. His prompt and friendly service really reassured me and he was aleays cinfirming everything by email. Mark is very knowledgeable in where to get the best prices for a variety of items. The mark that indicates sterling silver is called the lion passant. Different assay offices use different date letters, so it is important that you identify the town mark before the date letter. Very professional servicewould 100% recomend to anyone wanting a valuation or selling items.the process from start to finish was perfect.keep up, As I am in Scotland I thought I would send my silver to auction as the easiest way to sell it. All goldsmiths had to destroy their old marks and register new ones at the hall, using their initials and a new style of lettering. A duty mark was introduced in, to show that the appropriate duty had been paid for the purity. Until 1742 only silver items were made in Britain but then a process was invented to fuse sterling silver to copper and the Old Sheffield Plate industry This mark is only struck once. date letter cycle starting at the same letter. I would not hesitate in recommending him to anyone that had items to sell. communication and willing to go the extra mile when it mattered.Entirely trustworthy and highly recommended. all communication was friendly and informative and I felt kept in the loop through the whole process. I first discovered Mark on YouTube and contacted him to ask a couple of questions. I may add that at this point Mark was not pitching any sale to myself, merely offering good, genuine and free advice.I later had the opportunity to use Mark as a consultant to invest in my first Cask. A complex process, clearly explained at each step of the way. Historically the standard mark for sterling (.925 purity) silver in Britain has been a lion passant and this will be found on the majority of pieces. Thank you, With the daunting task of selling a 17-year old barrel of Bruichladdich Whisky, I turned to Mark Littler in Oct '21. During the 20th and 21st centuries an optional fifth mark has been stamped by the assay offices to represent times of national celebration. This stamp is specific to each silversmith. The duty marks used during the reigns of King George III, George IV and William IV show a profile of the monarchs head facing right and that of Queen Victoria facing left. Very happy i used Mark Little to handle the sale of my bottle,sent pictures,got offer,accepted offer and a week later received payment. New exactly what he was talking about and doing . The date letter on early spoons (especiallytrefids) is the most vulnerable to being over-polished due to its position high up the stem towards the terminal. Smaller, collectable items such as vesta cases and card cases can be worth much more than larger items such as tea services simply because they can be collected in larger numbers with ease. Would Highly recommend Mark for his professional manner, puts you at ease and offers a very reliable and honest service within the antique trade. 95.84%silver by weight -The standard for silver items from 1697 to 1720. when we were still quite young, without any plan about how to handle this. Very helpful. Communication was clear and the process to sell my whiskey was straightforward. has been very attentive and continued to provide feedback during the sale process and he managed to achieve an exceptional price for us.

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