Silver ladle hall marks

hi...I realize their may be a slim chance that one of the amazing silver people will be able to help with this..and so I ask I am away from home and have only one picture . I know I should wait until I can offer more pictures but I won't be home for a few days and the marks are making me crazy.
The ladle is rather large and has a lovely old lustre and good weight.
Please help if you can
I'm guessing at London and maker si . Date letter c

 

The city code *might* be the crown for Sheffield, but that is by no means a lock.

 

Thank you...I will keep looking

 

Well, now I'm rethinking that idea. Going to look at London (the leopard head might be on its side.)

 

Can you show the whole ladle?

And btw, I think the maker initials are more likely to be SE or SF than SI or ST.

 

I was a little foolish!! It was bugging me so much I posted...but the ladle is at home and I won't be home until Wed. I will post then..thank you for trying!

 

I see a Lion, Leopard's head, and what I think is a 'C' for the date-letter. I'm no good with the maker's mark though.

 

Thank you..that is what I thought but just not sure. I will post more pictures on Wednesday

 

It does look to me to be the Lion passant, Town Mark for London and Date code C for 1938. Trying all kinds of configurations for the makers mark. Waiting on the pics for that!

 

I beg to differ on that date, KC. The letter seems to be in a shield-shaped cartouche, which (assuming it's a C) would be 1878.

 

Would be helpful to see the actual piece, and the marks appear to be compressed as well as worn, but for several reasons, believe the marks are more likely London 1778/79:




For what it's worth, maker's mark looks to me like it might be 'SL'.

~Cheryl

 

Using that mark as an example and if London, 18th C., and if this maker is also upside down, could it be T.S? Thomas Shepherd?

 

Bottom-struck

It may sound a bit kinky, but I assure you that it is a much used term!

Hallmarks have moved up and down the reverse side of the stem of spoons over the Centuries. When the marks are located towards the bowl end at the narrowest part of the shank then they are termed "bottom struck". The process of striking the marks in this area caused the stem to bulge, so on return from the assay office the spoon maker would have to re-hammer the spoon often resulting in squashed marks that are difficult to read. The damage caused by this method lead in 1781 to the move of the hallmarks to the stem-end, known rather unsurprisingly as top-marking or occasionally as tail-marking.

Marks were sometimes mis-struck if the person stamping was less than accurate, resulting in only part of a hallmarks components. Unscrupulous spoon makers could take advantage of bottom marking by not sending the spoon to assay (thus avoiding duty), striking their makers mark four times to simulate hallmarks and re-hammering the stem to make the marks illegible. These spoons are known as duty dodgers and are very collectable.

 

The crowned leopard-head, the marks' location on the narrow part of the stem, along with the compression, the individually-struck look (London flatware marks were struck in a stub from 1781 and moved to the wider end of the spoon to avoid cracking the stem with the fly-press), the order of the marks, even the look of the lion-passant, though not clear enough to see if it was guardant, were all reasons I looked at that dating...

~Cheryl

 

I truly stand in awe of the knowledge that all of possess...it just amazes me and I am grateful to be part of this site. I will get the pictures of the ladle tomorrow. Thank you all.

 

Here it is inverted: Not sure it really brings anything more out though.....

 

Hi again... Hope thes help!!! Thank you

 

I'm sorry I thought images were full size

 

If it's not too late, you can still edit that post to make the additional thumbnails into Full Image.

 

Thank you,,