About Us
Our history
We are a fourth generation family run business discreetly located on the first floor
in a building on New Bond Street in London. We have been trading in Silver Antiques
since May 1953.
We offer a varied and comprehensive range of antique silver at very competitive
prices. We are constantly searching for and purchasing the very best in Antique
Silverware.
We believe that Antique Silver is unique and timelessly valuable, and we strive
to bring this belief to life in the items that we have available.
We are always happy to help with any queries and questions, and to help you find
the perfect item of antique silver.
We also carry a range of Reproduction Silverware.
Sterling Silver
Hallmarked Sterling Silver is an Alloy of pure silver that contains 92.5% Silver
and 7.5% other metals. Pure silver is not practical as it is too soft to make objects
out of if they are to be used. 925 is a mark used to indicate Sterling Silver, although
in the UK, a full set of hallmarks is required. In order for an item to be able
to be sold as Sterling Silver this standard has to be adhered to.
Britannia Silver
This Silver is 950 standard i.e. 95% silver. It is a legitimate alternative standard
of silver and it is less common than Sterling Silver, and is shown with a different
hallmark.
Silver Plate
Objects that are silver plated are objects made out of a conductive metal that are
electroplated with layers of silver. This is usually a more affordable alternative
to solid or sterling silver.
Old Sheffield Plate
Sheffield Plate was the process used to plate objects with silver before the process
of electroplating was invented. It is a process whereby silver sheets were used
to cover a copper base to make Silver Plated objects such as coffee pots, wine coasters
and mugs. Old Sheffield Plate is considered very collectable as the process was
only used for a relatively short period of time.
British Hallmarks
British Sterling Silver can be identified as such by the unique Hallmarks that they
have. Each object will show specific hallmarks which indicate that the item is sterling
silver but also imparts certain information about the object in question.
The Standard Mark: British Silver has a Lion as a standard mark – indicating
the Sterling Silver Standard is met. (Britannia Silver is shown with the figure
of Britannia).
The Office Mark: This mark show where the item has been Assayed – the most
common marks are a Leopards Head for London, an Anchor for Birmingham and a Rose
or a Crown for Sheffield. (Other Offices of Assay include Edinburgh, Chester, Dublin
and Newcastle etc)
The Date Letter: Indicates the date which the item was assayed. These are
letters of the Alphabet, usually in different fonts, styles and borders.
The Makers Mark: Indicates the maker of the item
The Duty Mark: Some periods of Silver production were indicated with a duty
mark featuring a silhouette of the monarch of the day.
Imported & Foreign Silver
When purchasing silver it is good to note that wonderful silver objects were (and
are) produced all around the world. Different countries have different ways of marking
their silver, and usually it is not quite as clear as British hallmarking.
Some foreign silver is imported and assayed in England. These items feature an English
Hallmark with a Capital F in an oval.
Continental, American and Russian Silver are all collected and feature unique qualities
of their own.
Cleaning Silver
This is a question often asked here at John Bull. We have a range of silver cleaning
products, but if you are unsure don’t hesitate to get hold of us. Silver Plate is
quite delicate and cannot be cleaned with abrasive polish.
Repairs & Services
We offer a range of repairs, and work with several amazing silver smiths who can
often work miracles. Although every case is unique we deal with Repairs, Replating,
and Erasing etc.
We also offer an Engraving service – We offer machine engraving, hand engraving,
crests, images & handwriting facsimiles.
We offer repairs and replacements on Antique Glass parts – liners, decanters, Jugs
and stoppers in various colours can be repaired, replaced and perfectly matched!
We offer a Valuation Service.
If there is something specific that you are searching for – please don’t hesitate
to contact us. We are often not able to get all our stock online!
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