We wanted to share a bit of the bubbly with you to celebrate the New Year.  The champagne charm shown started its career dangling from a man’s fob chain.   We know quite a bit about this item because it has been hallmarked.  British hallmarks typically consist of three separate marks. The lion passant is a purity mark and tells us that this charm is sterling silver and was made in England. The assay office mark indicates where an item was manufactured.  This charm is marked with an anchor, which tells us it was made in Birmingham. The third mark indicates the year of manufacture. You can decode the year marks using a reference book or web site.  The date of manufacture is determined by looking at the letter and its font.  In this case, we see the letter “n” in a style that denotes 1887.  Some items are also marked with a maker’s mark, initials that are associated with a particular manufacturer. There are several excellent web sites that you can use for reading hallmarks.  One of our favorites is available at www.britishhallmarkingcouncil.gov.uk  Click on the “Publications” button and then click on
“Hallmarks on Gold, Silver, and Platinum.”