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Author	Topic: Watch Cases
Waylander Posts: 131 Registered: Sep 2004	posted 12-07-2004 05:03 AM While this question originates with a piece of English silver, I thought I might throw it open "to the floor". I have recently seen two old watches (circa early 1800's), of English manufacture, both of which came with a Silver Case. In both cases, the cases contained only the date letter, the sterling mark and the town mark. In neither case was there a maker's mark; additionally, in both cases, there was NO duty mark, although it fell in a period covered by the duty mark. Can anyone shed any light on why this was? Was it a loophole in the legislation? Or simple out and out fraud? Thanks in advance Waylander IP: Logged
adelapt Posts: 418 Registered: May 2003	posted 12-07-2004 02:17 PM Without being able to check the actual hallmark laws ruling at the time, I suspect that the real reason is the third one. Namely, that glitches and hurried work did happen in hallmarking offices then. The fact that the cases had been hallmarked (even if incompletely, as we know, and read in other threads, was often the case in small objects) shows that the cases didn't side-step the system. The duty would have been levied on the weight of the parcel of goods going through the assay office concerned, even if each & every item didn't get its full complement of marks. IP: Logged
swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 Registered: May 2003	posted 12-07-2004 05:22 PM quote: glitches and hurried work did happen in hallmarking offices . I don't believe the maker's mark was ever applied in the guild hall or assay office. Depending on the period, the mark was placed on the work by the silversmith himself either before or after submission for hallmarking. The lack of a maker's mark on a watch case could possibly be related to the fact that the maker of the case and the maker of the movement were not the same, and neither might be the retailer. Watch papers were usually used, being placed in the case by the watch maker or retailer. Since by this time cases were probably supplied commercially, they probably went to the assayers in batches from the manufacturer, and may have had some sort of group exemption. A watch collector might be more knowledgeable on this point than a silver person. [This message has been edited by swarter (edited 12-07-2004).] IP: Logged
adelapt Posts: 418 Registered: May 2003	posted 12-07-2004 06:39 PM Swarter, The glitch referred to (in the case of a maker's mark) was that although the object should have had the maker's mark on it before being hallmarked, if a batch did come in and the odd case had missed its maker's mark, I'd expect that if it was up to assay standard, it would have been put through. The hallmarking officers probably didn't like the paper warfare involved in returning items out of a batch that was up to standard in a case like that. IP: Logged
Silver Lyon Posts: 363 Registered: Oct 2004	posted 12-08-2004 07:06 PM Watch cases, both of gold and silver, were EXEMPTED FROM DUTY in 1798. This means that a case dated between 1784 and 1797 SHOULD have a duty mark, but that those after 1797 DO NOT. If any of the forum members should happenstance upon a piece that is not a watch case, but has no duty mark while appearing to be Georgian, it has UNDOUBTEDLY been made up from an old watch-case (and is thus a 'fake')!! In my experience MOST watch cases have maker's marks, although by all means none of them. I subscribe to the 'parcel of goods theory' - I don't think that the makers minded having a different mark on the case - everybody at the time knew that the two were from different sources, indeed earlier in the c.18th there is evidence that the customer could choose his watch case rather in the same manner that we might choose the colour of the casing for our (horrid) cell-'phones!! IP: Logged

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