Undated
Fattorini & Sons
Fattorini & Sons F&S sponsor punch beside crown, lion passant and date-letter punches: a Sheffield group dated 1894.
Sheffield hallmark dated 1894.
Symbol guide
Crown hallmark on silver
A single crown in a British silver hallmark group is the historic Sheffield assay-office mark, replaced by the rose in 1975. Three Swedish crowns, Germany’s crescent-and-crown and crowns in plated makers’ logos belong to different systems.
Examples
Undated
Sheffield 1897 hallmark
James Deakin & Sons: crown and lion passant beside the JD/WD sponsor punch; illustrated Sheffield group dated 1897.
Captioned hallmark examples: Sheffield 1897; Chester 1903; Birmingham 1920.
Undated
Henry Wilkinson & Co
Henry Wilkinson & Co: HW&Co, lion passant, sovereign’s head, date letter and Sheffield crown; illustrated group dated 1873.
Illustrated Sheffield 1873 hallmark.
Frequently asked questions
What does a crown hallmark on silver mean?
With British silver hallmarks, it can identify Sheffield before the rose replaced the crown in 1975. Check the lion passant, sponsor and other punches to confirm that system.
What is a three-crown silver mark?
Three crowns within a three-lobed shield are Sweden’s cat’s-foot control mark. An accompanying S in a six-sided shield denotes silver.
Does a crown on silver-on-copper mean sterling?
No. SILVER ON COPPER describes plated construction. A maker’s crown device does not change the metal description to sterling.
What does a crown with a crescent moon mean?
In a group with a silver fineness number and maker’s mark, it identifies Germany’s national silver-marking system introduced in 1888.
Related marks
420 marks
Undated
Brookes & Crookes (John Brookes & Thomas Crookes)
This Sheffield hallmark dates to about 1907.
Sheffield: one crown in a British silver group
On British silver, a separate crown punch accompanied by the lion passant and a sponsor’s initials identifies the historic Sheffield assay office. Sheffield began marking in 1773. The office replaced its silver crown with the rose in 1975. The lion passant supplies the sterling-standard context; the crown identifies the office rather than a particular manufacturer. Fattorini, James Deakin and Henry Wilkinson could therefore all submit silver carrying the same town device alongside their different sponsor punches.
Use the date letter and sponsor together
A traditional Sheffield group may include a date letter, and older examples can include a sovereign’s-head duty mark. Match the letter’s typeface, case and shield to a Sheffield date table. The illustrated Fattorini group is dated 1894, while the Deakin group is dated 1897; those dates apply to the illustrated hallmark groups, not to every object with the same sponsor initials. A sponsor identifies the business or person who submitted the piece and is not necessarily its physical manufacturer.
Three crowns: the Swedish control mark
Sweden’s kattfoten, or cat’s-foot control mark, contains three crowns arranged in a three-lobed shield. It is a national control mark rather than Sheffield’s single crown. The system began in 1754. On silver, an S in a separate six-sided shield helps identify the metal. Read the maker’s registered name stamp, fineness and any date code with it. The three crowns alone do not name the silversmith or supply a production year.
Crescent and crown: Germany
A crescent moon beside an imperial crown and a fineness number points to Germany’s national silver-marking system introduced in 1888. An accompanying 800 means 800 parts silver per thousand, or 80%; other finenesses also occur. The maker’s symbol is separate. This group differs from Sheffield’s crown and lion passant and from Sweden’s three-crown control mark. Identify the crescent as well as the crown before assigning a country.
Crowns on plated and gold-coloured objects
Manufacturers of silver plate also used crowns and groups of shield-shaped trade punches. SILVER ON COPPER describes a silver coating over copper; EPNS identifies electroplate on nickel silver. A crown beside that wording remains part of a plated manufacturer’s stamp group. On British gold, a crown can instead be the traditional gold-standard symbol. Keep the entire row visible, including words, numbers, animals and letter shields: the crown’s role follows from that complete combination.
Compare the maker’s other marks
Asprey & Co LtdCooper BrothersHenry Wilkinson & CoCharles Stuart HarrisFattorini & SonsJohn Thompson & SonsBrookes & Crookes (John Brookes & Thomas Crookes)C F Hancock & CoGibson & Co LtdHawksworth, Eyre & Co LtdJames ScottJohn SandersonJohn Yeomans CowlishawLee & Wigfull (Henry Wigfull)Thomas Bradbury and SonsThomas EdwardsThomas NorthcoteThomas StreetinBirmingham 1902 hallmarkFrank Cobb & CoGeorge WickesMartin Hall & Co LtdTravis, Wilson & Co LtdW S Savage & CoWhite & CoWilliam GrundyYates BrothersBenjamin BarlingBirmingham 1933 hallmarkBowles NashC H BeatsonCharles Boyton & SonCharles James AllenCharles ShipwayDuncan Urquhart & Naphtali HartGeorge Butler & CoGladwin LtdHarrison Brothers & HowsonHarrison Brothers & Howson (George Howson)Hawksworth, Eyre & Co (Charles Hawksworth & John Eyre)Maxfield & SonsP Ashberry & SonsSamuel NevilleSharman D NeillSheffield 1901 hallmarkThomas & William ChawnerThomas DicksThomas Parr IIThomas ShepherdThomas Wallis IThomas WhiphamV B Vickers & CoWatson & Gillott (William Watson & Herbert Gillott)West & SonA E KinmanA. Beardshaw & CoAaron Hatfield & SonsAbstainando KingAdolph ScottAlexander Clark Manufacturing CoAlexander Clark, entered Oct 1894 The Alexander Clark Manufacturing Company, entered May 1898Alexander ScottAlice and George BurrowsAngora Silver Plate CoAnselm HardyArthur Elwell SpurrierAston & SonAtkin & Oxley: Henry Atkin & John OxleyAtkin Bros -Harry Atkin-Atkinson Brothers LtdBenjamin ElkinCharles WrightChester 1921 hallmarkCrispin FullerE Silver & CoE. CroftonEdmund BellEdward VincentEdward WakelinF B Thomas & Co (Francis Boone Thomas)George Harry Whitaker subsequently George H Whitaker & CoIsaac Ellis & SonsJames EnglandJames FrayJames Le BasJames MooreJenkins & TimmJohn CramerJohn Crouch I & Thomas HannamJohn Henry PotterJohn Langlands I & John GoodrickJoseph Rodgers & SonLarder & BurgessPeter & Ann BatemanRichard PouldenRobert Hennell I