Hi there,
Could anyone help me with these silver marks, please?
I have found this wonderful silver teapot but am having trouble identifying the marks. My silver hallmark book describes the Glasgow hallmark as a tree with a bird on top, a bell hanging from a lower branch and the trunk crossed with a fish.
As can be seen from the photos attached my teapot has the Sorley Glasgow mark but the imprint is RF E & Co L. There is also an arrowhead at the top of the base and a strange ‘boomerang’ or dotted A in the bottom of the base. Could these relate to hallmarks?
Unfortunately the beautifully crafted wickerwork covered handle has come away from it’s anchor point on one side. There is a brassy sheen over the pot but when this was polished in a small patch this became a solid silver colour with the dark indents.
I hope the pictures are clear enough. I can put some with closeups of any of the marks if needed.
Any information would be most appreciated. A search online did throw up goldsmiths with the name Robert & William Sorley in late 19th early 20th century but the silvermarks do not match.