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<p>[QUOTE="Bakersgma, post: 720791, member: 59"]Yes, there are several things wrong with these marks. To help you understand, it would be a good idea for you to read this page about British silver hallmarks.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.925-1000.com/british_marks.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.925-1000.com/british_marks.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.925-1000.com/british_marks.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>The same general requirements and concepts apply when marking gold. You need to see a valid "fineness" mark, a valid City mark (where it was assayed and stamped), and a date letter from the assay office chart of letters and fonts for the year in which the item was marked. In certain periods a "duty mark" was also required and consists of the head of the reigning monarch. If the case is original (and from some time before the US Civil War) it should have either George IV or Victoria - neither of which is there. </p><p><br /></p><p>I see a Lion passant (the mark for Sterling Silver) that looks more like the ones used in Canada than in England. On the right what is trying to look like a "crowned leopard" (for London, but not valid after 1822) does not look anything like the real one. In the middle the crown over the number 18 looks like somebody's idea of what a mark for 18 carat gold should look like (I'm guessing.) But as far as I know gold was marked with the decimal system and not the carat/karat system. That lonely F at the bottom should be the date letter. That particular F would have been valid for London in 1801 and 1881 only. And over on the left, the elongated shield shape with mostly illegible letters is unreadable, but might be intended to be the maker's mark - but this shape is very unusual for a maker.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Bakersgma, post: 720791, member: 59"]Yes, there are several things wrong with these marks. To help you understand, it would be a good idea for you to read this page about British silver hallmarks. [URL]https://www.925-1000.com/british_marks.html[/URL] The same general requirements and concepts apply when marking gold. You need to see a valid "fineness" mark, a valid City mark (where it was assayed and stamped), and a date letter from the assay office chart of letters and fonts for the year in which the item was marked. In certain periods a "duty mark" was also required and consists of the head of the reigning monarch. If the case is original (and from some time before the US Civil War) it should have either George IV or Victoria - neither of which is there. I see a Lion passant (the mark for Sterling Silver) that looks more like the ones used in Canada than in England. On the right what is trying to look like a "crowned leopard" (for London, but not valid after 1822) does not look anything like the real one. In the middle the crown over the number 18 looks like somebody's idea of what a mark for 18 carat gold should look like (I'm guessing.) But as far as I know gold was marked with the decimal system and not the carat/karat system. That lonely F at the bottom should be the date letter. That particular F would have been valid for London in 1801 and 1881 only. And over on the left, the elongated shield shape with mostly illegible letters is unreadable, but might be intended to be the maker's mark - but this shape is very unusual for a maker.[/QUOTE]
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