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Antique Georgian silver sugar tongs are a fascinating subject. As is the study of all antique silver. There is a lot of standardisation across makers and time periods. However, occasionally something a little bit different comes up. Sometimes this can be unusual marks on a pair of tongs, a different style or something that just seems inconsistent, (a maker's mark at the "wrong" Assay office). This section will feature some of these.
Its particular aim will be to encourage those of you who have specialist knowledge to share it with the rest of us. Maybe you've seen the mark elsewhere or maybe you've researched the area and know a bit more about it. Whatever the situation, if you have something that would be of interest about these unusual tongs, please share it & I will publish updates to the web-site - for all to see.
Click on the highlighted name to see pictures |
| BM - Benjamin Mountigue | hallmarked on the outside | NS&Co - Nathaniel Smith & Co. - Sheffield | Flat, right angled, bright cut tongs |
| GE - George Elder | A Banff maker, hallmarked in Edinburgh | Alexander Gairdner - Edinburgh | Strange maker's mark and town mark |
| GS - George Smith II 1793 | dated when he was working with Thomas Hayter | Solomon Hougham - London | Very strange "insect" like marks |
| GS - George Smith II 1797 | dated when he was working with Thomas Hayter | Daniel Popkins? - Dublin | Half cast tongs |
| Hester Bateman with duty draw-back mark | a rare example of the duty draw back mark | Chistopher & Thomas Wilkes Barker | Miniature tongs |
| MK - Michael Keating | A pair of Dublin tongs with two different maker's marks | John Langlands & John Robertson of Newcastle | Bateman tongs, dated 1794 - a year after Langlands' death. |
| PB WB - Peter & William Bateman | a mis-struck hallmark | Thomas Wallis I - cast tongs | a pair of cast tongs with the arms set at right angles |
| RC - Robert Cattle | The rare Lion Passant facing right - York | Nathaniel Smith & Co. | damaged tongs |
| SA - Stephen Adams II | right angled arms | Thomas Hayter | hallmark punched incorrectly |
| SG EW - Samuel Godbehere & Edward Wigan | Cast tongs, dated 1795 | William Bateman - 1816 | unusual scallop shaped bowls |
| HT TL - Henry Tudor & Thomas Leader | Early Sheffield pressed tongs, dated 1781 | Thomas Law - Sheffield 1793 | Pierced bright cut tongs |
| TN - Thomas Northcote | Dated 1800 - 2 years after his death | Thomas Law - Sheffield 1797 | Double duty mark |
| Robert Cattle & James Barber | Right facing Lion Passant & Date letter | unknown maker | tongs - bright cut on both sides of the arms |
| Francis Parsons & Stephen Crees | embossed motif on sides of arms | Thomas Tookey | Hallmarked on the outside of the arms |
| Peter, Ann & William Bateman | hallmark struck on top of maker's mark | Samuel Wintle` | Hallmark on the outside, maker's mark on the inside |