Hall marks on gold & silver plate

FALSE PUNCHES, ETC. 153
By the electrotype process, an ancient vase, cup, or any piece
of plate, may be moulded with the greatest exactness, showing the
minutest chasing and engraving and even the hammer-<strong>marks</strong> of the
original, as well as the <strong>Hall</strong>-mark itself. These reproductions are
difficult of detection to the uninitiated, but an expert will at a glance
discover the spurious copy, although the means by which he arrives
at such a conclusion are not so easily explained. An experienced
numismatist will, by the feel as well as the sight, distinguish
between a true and false coin; so a perceptible difference will be
observed between a genuine piece of old chased silver and its
modern prototype. There is about the latter a greasy, unsatisfac-
will at once detect.
tory appearance, which a practised hand and eye
Of course in these electrotype copies the reverse would show the
crystals formed in the process ; but these are inside the cup or vase,
and if in sight are tooled over to prevent detection.
Sometimes English <strong>Hall</strong>-<strong>marks</strong> are cut from a spoon or small
article and transferred to a large and more important piece of plate,
such as a cup or vase, perhaps of old German manufacture. This
might be detected by an assay, to ascertain if the quality correspond
with the English standard, foreign plate being usually inferior,
which could be done with little trouble and at a trifling cost at an
Assay Office, by scraping a few grains from the piece. On close
examination with a magnifier, the transposed fragment containing
the <strong>Hall</strong>-mark may be traced by the line round the edge, which is
generally inserted with solder; or, if highly polished, the junction
may be observed by applying the fumes of sulphur, or by the blow-
In examining pieces with supposed counterfeit or forged <strong>Hall</strong><strong>marks</strong>
several indicia must be specially considered. We must first
try and divine the motive of falsification; whether it be to pass off
inferior or base metal as standard, or whether the object be to deceive
by making the piece appear of a more ancient date than it
really is, by placing the counterfeit of the old die upon good silver
and taking advantage of the increased value between antique and
modern plate. In the first case we easily arrive at a safe conclusion
by an assay in the ; second we must to a great extent be guided by
the style and fashion of the vessel, and judge whether they correspond
with the date assigned to it by the stamps, which, if copied
accurately from the English <strong>Hall</strong>-<strong>marks</strong>, can be easily ascertained.
Again, the methods of manufacturing plate, ancient and modern,
are essentially different, as indicated by the presence of hammer<strong>marks</strong>,
etc. The style of ornamentation in repousse, engraving and
chasing differs materially ; the colour and tint of old gilding is also
difficult to imitate. Moreover, we must not be misled or taken off
our guard by abrasions, <strong>marks</strong> of wear and tear, or rough usage, as
these are easily counterfeited.
Another method of detecting spurious plate is by a close observation
of the position of the <strong>Hall</strong>-<strong>marks</strong> on the piece of plate
under examination. The stamping of plate at the Assay Offices is
not done at random, but is subject to official orders and regulations.