164 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[July, 1901. 



The process consists in coating the wares with a thiu 

 solution of collodion varnish, diluted with spirits of 

 wine to a thin fluid. The articles should be slightly 

 warmed, and the varnish applied by means of a soft 

 white bristle brush, and on the evaporation of the spirit 

 a thiu transparent film of glossy substance is left behind, 

 which preserves the brightness of the metal, and dis- 

 penses with the constant labour otherwise required in 

 keeping the articles fresh and lustrous. As a thorough 

 safeguard against tarnishing it is advisable to paint the 

 articles more than once. The varnish is easily removed 

 by means of warm water. 



Articles which have become very much tarnished 

 may be restored by carefully rubbing them over with 

 a clean piece of soft cloth wetted with a dilute solution 

 of potassium cyanide (about 1 oz. to 1 quart of water;, 

 and then well rinsing them in clean water when the 

 silver apiDearauce has returned. 



Owing to the want of sufficient data it is somewhat 

 difiicult to ascertain the total quantity of standard 

 silver prepared annually in the United Kingdom, but 

 an approximation to this quantity may be obtained 

 from data published in the Annual Reports of the 

 Royal Mint. 



The following figures, taken from the most recently 

 published Mint rejjort, gives the total cjuantity of 

 standard silver prepared in the year 1899 for the pur- 

 jjoses of coinage and medals, and also the quantity 

 marked at the Assay Offices of Birmingham, Sheffield, 

 and Chester. 



Quantity of Standard Silver prepared at the Royal Mint in 1899. 



Oiuices. 

 For Imperial Coinage (925 standard) ... 1(1,677,155 

 Fur Colonial Coinage (92.5 standard) ... 251,531 



For Colonial Coinage (800 standard) 5,74;?,(i57 



For War Medals (925 standard) ... 52,0J5 



Total 



16,724,358 or 512 Tons. 



Assay Office Returns for 18119 (Hint Report). 



Ounces. 

 Silver marked at Birmingham ... ... 2,823,525 



Silver marked at Sheffield 1,323,917 



Silver marked at Chester... ... ... 741,044 



4,888,486 or 149^ Tons. 



No official returns are made of the weight of silver 

 marked annually at the Assay Offices of London, Scot- 

 laud, and Ireland, but the following figures arc given 

 by RedmanJ for 1898. 

 Quantity of Silver marked at otlier Assiiy Offices in 1898. (Redman.) 



London 

 Kdinbm-gh 

 trlasgow 

 Dublin ... 



Total 



Ouuces. 



2,103,652 



15,413 



15,321 



8,123 



2,142,509 



This latter quantity added to that marked at the 

 Assay Offices quoted above gives a total of 7,030,995 

 ounces (215 tens) of silver used for industrial purposes. 



It may be remarked that the weight of foreign silver 

 wares which are imported and marked in this countiy 

 is included in (.his total, but the amount is comparatively 

 small. 



After making allowance for the quantity of standard 

 silver used annually for the manufacture of small aa-ticles 

 which are exempt from Hall marking, a total of twenty- 



J " Hall Marks," Redman, 1900 Jidit.. p. 131. 



two and a half million ounces or about 689 tons would 

 probably be a fair approximation to the total quantity 

 of standard silver prepared annually in the United 

 Kingdom. 



By an Act of Parliament passed in 1867 (30 and 31 

 Victoria, c. 90,- s. 1), annual licences must be taken out 

 by every dealer in silver articles in respect of any shop, 

 and by evei-y hawker or pedlai', a penalty of £50 being 

 imposed for dealing without licence. For silver wares 

 above 5 dwts. and under 30 ozs. in one article the 

 licence is £.2 6s. Od., above 30 ozs. £5 15s. Od. 



In order to prevent the manufacture of spurious plate, 

 the law requires that the quality of the metal of all 

 silver wares, with certain exceptions, shall be determined 

 by assay at offices duly authorised for that purjiose in 

 various parts of the Kingdom, and that if it be found 

 equal to standard it shall be stamped at those offices 

 with a series of marks, but that if the wares are found 

 to be below standard they shall be broken up and the 

 silver returned to the owner, who is to be charged a 

 penalty of 6d. per ounce. 



The marks employed denote the quality of the 

 standard, the place of assay, and the yeai'; the law 

 also requires that all wares sent to be assayed must bear 

 the maker's mark. The name of the maker is indicated 

 by his initials; the standard of 11 ozs. 2 dwts. (925) 

 by a lion passant; and that of 11 ozs. 10 dwts. (959) 

 by a lion's head erased (i.e., without the body) and the 

 figure of Britannia, except at Birmingham and Sheffield, 

 where Britannia alone is used ; the place of assay is 

 indicated by heraldic arms, and the year of assay by 

 a letter, which is used throughout the year and is 

 changed every year. 



Duty was formerly charged on all silver wares, the 

 payment of duty being indicated by the sovereign's 

 head, but this has been omitted since 1890 when the 

 duty was abolished. 



At the present time there are four Assay Offices in 

 England, for which the arms are as follows: — 

 Birmingham .. An anchor. 

 Chester ... . . A sword between three garbs. 



London... ... A leopard's head (the arm of the 



Goldsmiths' Company). 

 Sheffield A crown. 



Formerly there were nine Assay Offices, but those at 

 York, Exeter, Bristol, Norwich, and Newcastle-on-Tyne 

 have been closed, probably on account of the ti-ade 

 being transferred to other centres such as Birmingham, 

 Coventry, Sheffield, and London. 



There are two Assay Offices in Scotland, one in Edin- 

 burgh, and one in Glasgow, where a series of marks 

 corresponding to the English is used, but the standard 925 

 is indicated by the thistle, with the addition of Britannia 

 m the case of the standard of 11 ozs. 10 dwts. 



The arms of the Scotch Assay Offices are : — 

 Edinburgh ... A castle with three towers. 

 Glasgow ... A tree growing out of a mount, 



with a fish and bell. 



The office at Glasgow has not adopted the marks 

 prescribed by the above statute, but uses the Hon ram- 

 pant instead of the thistle to denote the standard. 



In Ireland the assaying and marking of silver plate 

 is restricted to Dublin, where a series of marks corre- 

 sponding to the English is also used. The place of 

 assay is indicated by a figure of Hibernia, and the 

 standard, which is 11 ozs. 2 dwts., by a harp crowned. 

 No silver wares of the " new standard." 11 ozs. 10 dwts., 

 are marked in Ireland. 



