This teaspoon, struck for the London Middlesex Rifle Association, is hallmarked London 1939. I had only had a very cursory glance at the maker’s mark and thought it was probably Elkington & Co. as they were heavily involved in the production of items for the National Rifle Association and many other Bisley based clubs.
Having had a proper look as I continue the never ending process of cataloguing my collection I found that the maker’s/sponsor’s mark is in fact HP. The only reference I have found is to Humphrey Payne but he is listed as a 18th century maker and I’ve found nothing to suggest that the firm continued into the mid 20th century.
Did Payne continue in business or who might HP be?
Many thanks,
exmpa
