Hall marks on gold & silver plate

FALSE PUNCHES, ETC. 155
ing them down into ingots, of converting them into articles of general
use; so by adding silver branches with nozzles for candles on
the lower parts of the badges, transmogrified them into very handsome
sconces to hang upon the walls; the old <strong>Hall</strong>-<strong>marks</strong> upon the
medallions proving incontestably to an unwary purchaser the antiquity
of these cleverly adapted articles.
The duty mark of the sovereign's head, denoting payment of
the impost, was first used in 1784. This additional stamp at once
proclaims the comparatively recent date of a piece of plate. To
remedy this, the intrusive stamp is frequently erased, leaving only
four <strong>marks</strong>, as previously used, instead of five, which, if it does not
convince every collector, at any rate puzzles him, and in many instances
the deception is successful.
Even the experienced collector may occasionally be deceived,
and it requires somewhat more than a hasty glance to arrive at a
satisfactory conclusion on the merits or demerits of a piece of plate,
e.g., an isolated spoon, with cleverly imitated <strong>Hall</strong>-<strong>marks</strong>, might
pass muster, but when a whole set is produced suspicion is naturally
aroused, and a more scrutinising investigation with the magnifying
glass becomes necessary. We shall perchance discover that the three
or four <strong>Hall</strong>-<strong>marks</strong> exactly correspond on each spoon, and all are
precisely in the same relative position or distance from each other,
the same angle of inclination of each punch, in fact, the exact
counterpart in the minutest particular. Now a little reasoning on
this coincidence will prove that such a close resemblance of one set
of stamps to another amounts to an impossibility on genuine spoons,
when we consider the method of stamping at the <strong>Hall</strong>, the <strong>marks</strong>
being punched with several punches at different times, the maker
placing his registered stamp upon
the article before he sends it to
be assayed, and after the assay is completed the <strong>Hall</strong>-<strong>marks</strong> are
placed by its side.
Transformations are common, and old-fashioned articles of
plate are frequently beaten out, added to, or ornamented in such a
manner as to render them serviceable and attractive, still retaining
the ancient <strong>Hall</strong>-mark, although it appears in a wrong position on
the piece. Old saucepans of Queen Anne's time having become un-
saleable, are converted into tankards and mugs ; dishes originally
plain are turned into chased waiters or baskets; old decanter stands
(now out of date) are, by trifling additions, turned into soy
frames, etc.
These transformations have been dealt with to a certain extent
by 7 & 8 Victoria, cap. 22, sect. 5. Manufacturers are allowed by
this Act to add to any piece of silver a quantity not exceeding onethird
of the whole, which additional piece may be sent to the Goldsmi-ths'
<strong>Hall</strong> and stamped, but these additions must be made in such
a manner as not to alter the original use for which it was intended ;
thus, a piece may have a foot, handle, spout, or stand affixed; an
old tankard may have a lip attached for pouring out liquids, but