The Directory of Gold and Silversmiths: Jewellers and Allied Traders 1838-1914 from the London Assay Office Registers: Volume I Biographies and Volume II Marks by John Culme

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Marks on foredges. Interior and binding are still very good.

Essential reference work with the first volume spanning 504 pages and containing about 4,000 highly detailed biographies of Victorian and Edwardian goldsmiths, silversmiths, jewellers, case makers, and retailers who registered their official hallmarks at the London Assay Office. You will find dedicated profiles for large luxury retailers, mass-market manufacturing firms, and individual specialist artisans—including box makers, watch-case makers, die-sinkers, chasers, hair workers, coral workers, and meerschaum pipe mounts manufacturers.

It features high-quality reproductions of 19th-century Victorian trade cards, original workshop photographs, and period print advertisements.

Volume II is specifically designed for the hands-on identification of physical hallmarks on antique British silver and gold pieces. It serves as the visual counterpart to the biographies in Volume I.

Spanning 391 pages, this volume illustrates a massive collection of 16,127 distinct punch marks and stamps transcribed directly from the official London Assay Office registers. The marks are reproduced clearly so collectors and dealers can match tiny physical stamp variations—such as font styles, border shields, and initials—found on actual historical silverware.

Features a specialised, comprehensive index linked directly to the biographical profiles in Volume I.