Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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Re: Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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WILLIAM WYATT - CHARLES RIMER

Birmingham


THE GREED OF GAIN

TAMPERING WITH THE HALL-MARK


At Birmingham Assizes to-day Wm. Wyatt and Charles Rimer, manufacturing jewellers, were sentenced by Baron Pollock to fourteen months' hard labour for feloniously transposing the hall-mark of the Birmingham assay authorities by placing the 18ct. and 15ct. marks on an article of jewellery of an inferior quality. The Judge said the offence was a most serious one, and was purposely committed for the greed of gain.


Source: South Wales Echo - 17th March 1897

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Re: Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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WALTER ROBERTS - WILLIAM CANTLE

London


At the Clerkenwell Police Court, on Monday, Walter Roberts, an engraver, and William Cantle, a brass finisher, were charged with feloniously marking certain articles of jewellery by counterfeiting the mark of the Goldsmiths' Company. Several cases were proved in which the prisoners had stamped the mark of the company on chains, watches, an rings, and they were remanded without bail.

Source: The Monmouthshire Merlin and South Wales Advertiser - 28th January 1881


See: http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... ts#p155249

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Re: Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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ROBERT WILLIS

London


FORGING THE GOLDSMITHS' HALL MARK

HEAVY PENALTY


At the Old Bailey, London, on Monday, Robert Willis, aged 27, was sentenced to six years' penal servitude for forging the Goldsmiths' hall mark to a silver gilt watch, and passing it off as a valuable gold one.


Source: The Weekly Mail - 26th September 1885

See: http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 60#p104645

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Re: Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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JOSEPH ADELMAN

Withy Grove, Manchester


CHESTER HALLMARK - CHARGE AGAINST A JEWELLER

Joseph Adelman, a manufacturing jeweller at Withy Grove, Manchester, was on Monday charged before Mr. Brierley, the stipendiary magistrate, at the City Police Court, with having transposed certain hallmarks from gold rings to other rings, of inferior quality, with intent to defraud; and also with having "uttered" rings which bore the hallmarks so transposed.

Mr. Cobbett, who appeared to prosecute, said the proceedings were taken at the instance of Mr. J.F. Lowe, of Chester, the Master of Assays there, and the principal officer of the Company goldsmiths of Chester. The charge against Adelman was, in substance, that he had removed from a number of gold rings the mark of the company's die indicating that the gold was of the quality of 18 carats, and transposed the mark to other articles of gold ware. The offence was one created by statute, and was punishable as a felonv. There was another information which charged the prisoner with having "feloniously uttered" two gold rings into which the hallmark had been transposed from other rings on which they had been originally impressed by the Assay officers. This prosecution had been instituted upon information received by these officers that the accused was carrying on this kind of business extensively. On the 9th March two gold rings were purchased at his establishment - he himself being the vendor — which on being subjected to the usual tests were found to bear hallmarks which had been transposed from other rings of standard quality. Eight of these rings were assayed. In one ring the parts to which the hallmark had been transposed were of correct quality, the remaining seven being below the quality of the transposed parts bearing the hall-marks, one ring being only 15 carats. On Friday last, on the information of the Master of Assay, a search warrant was applied for and granted, under which nineteen rings were seized on the defendant's premises. Of these eight were found to bear transposed hallmarks, and out of those eight seven were of 15-carat gold only. The prisoner had only been arrested that morning, and a long remand would be necessary, as the case was one that would require some elaboration.

Evidence with regard to the arrest and the execution of the search warrant was given by Inspector Hough, and the accused was then remanded until Tuesday next, the magistrate expressing his willingness to accept bail in two sureties of £100 each.


Source: The Chester Courant - 5th April 1905


THE HALLMARK CASE - COMMITTAL OF THE ACCUSED

Joseph Adelman, in business as a manufacturing jeweller at premises in Withy Grove, appeared again last week, before Mr. Brierley, the stipendiary magistrate, at the Minshull-street Court, Manchester. He was charged with transposing the hall-marks from certain articles of goldware to other similar articles of the same or inferior value, with having in his possession gold rings the hallmarks on which had been so transposed, and with uttering gold rings of the same character, in contravention of the Goldsmiths Act. The bulk of the evidence in support of the charge was taken at a former sitting. The only witness on Tuesday was a working jeweller, formerly employed by the defendant, who spoke to seeing gold strips which had been stamped with the defendant's name mark being sent to the Assay Office at Chester and being returned bearing the official hallmarks. These strips represented the condition of 18-carat gold which had to be cut up and made into rings (each ring bearing its own hall-mark); but Adelman's practice, the witness said, was to cut out the hall-marks and solder them into gold rings which were generally of inferior standard. He did a considerable business, turning out about three dozen rings a week. The money gain per ring by this practice would not amount to more than 6d. to 1s. The defendant, when the witness first went to him, had four workmen and several apprentices. Most of them were engaged at various times in this work of transposing hallmarks. The witness added that he had himself done it, under Adelman's direction. The defendant was committed for trial at the assizes, the same bail as before being accepted.


Source: The Chester Courant - 26th April 1905

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Re: Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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EDWARD BROWN

London


FRAUDULENT HALL MARKS - At the Marlborough Street Police Court, on May 17th, Edward Brown, an electro-plater, was charged before Mr. Newton with feloniously transferring the marks of dies used by the Goldsmiths' Company to certain goods in base metal, with intent to defraud. The goods in question consisted of a cream ewer and a coffee-pot, both of which had soldered in them false bottoms of silver bearing the hall mark of 1744 and 1747 respectively, and although the ewer and coffee-pot were two pennyweights in the pound troy under the standard, the main object of inserting the old hall marks appeared to be to enhance the value of the articles by taking advantage of the present "rage" for old plate. The prosecution was instigated by the Goldsmiths' Company.

The prisoner, after a week's remand, was committed for trial.


Source: The Horological Journal - June 1876

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Re: Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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EDWARD BROWN - DAVID GOOCH

London

A follow up to the above post:

FRAUDULENT HALL MARKS - The case of inserting old hall marks in new articles of plate, to which we adverted in the June number, has entered on a new phase. Edward Brown, the electro-plater, pleaded guilty to inserting the false bottoms, and judgment was reserved. The Goldsmiths' Company thereupon prosecuted Mr. David Gooch, a silversmith, of New Oxford Street, for whom the spurious articles of plate were made. At the examination of Gooch at Marlborough Street Police Court, Brown, who was brought from Newgate to give evidence, said that Gooch induced him to insert the old bottoms, telling him the manufactured articles would be duly "registered" at Goldsmiths' Hall. Brown strongly asserted his ignorance of any fraud being practised. After some further evidence, Gooch was committed for trial, and bail refused.

Source: The Horological Journal - August 1876

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Re: Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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WALTER ROBERTS

Forging The Hall-marks. — Walter Roberts, aged 40, engraver, 35, Charles Street, Islington, was charged at the Clerkenwell Police Court on the 26th ult,, with counterfeiting and uttering the marks of certain dies used by the Company of Goldsmiths for marking wares of gold. Mr. W. S. Prideaux, clerk of the Company, prosecuted. The case arose out of that of William Cantell, of 7, St. John's Lane, who on Monday was committed for trial on a charge of forging the mark of the company on rings, watches and chains. Detective-inspector Peel and Detective-serjeant Thomas Greet on Saturday proceeded to the prisoner's house with a search warrant. Roberts said he had no dies or stamps for copying the marks, but seven punches, imitations of the Goldsmiths' dies, were found in the drawer of a box in which the prisoner kept his tools. A silver watch was also found, having the Goldsmiths' mark on it. The prisoner was committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Source: The Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith - 5th February 1881

See: https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopi ... ts#p155249

and: https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopi ... ts#p171934

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Re: Information on the Forgery of British Hallmarks

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GEORGE MILLS

Birmingham


Serious Charge Against a Jeweler

George Mills, 43, of 2, Key Hill-drive, Birmingham, manufacturing jeweler, was charged, at the City Police Court, on May 10th, under the Assay Act, with having about April 23rd last " transferred and removed a certain mark, provided and used by the Company of Guardians of the Standard of Wrought-plate in Birmingham, from divers wares of gold, called brooches." Mr. Alfred Young (instructed by Mr. Carslake) prosecuted, and Mr. Bickley appeared for the defence. Accused, who has in his employ some seven or eight workmen, was arrested on a warrant, and it is alleged that he transferred the 9-carat Hall-mark on a number of brooches of that standard of gold to brooches made of baser metal. As further inquiries have to be made into the matter, the case was adjourned for a week, and Mr. Young said a further remand would also be required.

Source: The Watchmaker, Jeweller and Silversmith - 1st June 1894

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