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Hi,

This 1780 London table spoon has a makers mark IL, however the pellet separating the initials is in the form of an x. I am assuming it is a John Lambe mark but I have not seen this pellet before, has anybody else?

Martin

Hi Martin,

I think it likely that you are correct. The impressions in Grimwade do have to be read with some licence as those marks in the registers are ink impressions only and detail is lost and sometimes differ from those seen in the flesh.

Thomas Northcote is another example, in Grimwade his mark appears with a small cross between his initials, but on the rare occasions when a clear example is found, it is in fact a six-pointed star.

Trev.

Hi Trev,

You are spot on with your observation on the Grimwade images. I only raised the subject in this case as Lambe was a fairly prolific maker and I have seen a lot of his marks, but never this one before. I suppose that this is why we get hooked on the subject of silver marks, there is always something new to see.

Martin

I think there is another factor we tend to ignore when using Grimwades images .
In theory all new punches should be registered at Goldsmiths' Hall. In practise I personally believe that a prolific silversmith would have had more than one identical punch made each time he ordered . Thus there would be minute differences as these were very much a craft item . And I doubt each would have been separately recorded.
In addition if a silversmith had a new punch made to supplement or replace an old one, and in theory it was identical, I doubt he always registered them .