Sheffield maker's mark

[Roy]

Any ideas chaps?

@stefffana @Mobius

🙂

[stefffana]

Sheffield, 1977,  Britannia silver 95.833%.

Maker: John Doe, 😁 Unknown real name.

But your ingot pendant is mentioned in encyclopedia.😁

Cheers!

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by stefffana

[Mobius]

Yep, according to Silver Makers Marks, JD is err... JD! Big help.

It's too modern for any of my reference books too I'm afraid.

[Roy]

23 minutes ago, stefffana said:

Britannia silver 95.833%.

Oh my!

I had it as sterling...I must check them all now! 

Learn something every day....I didn't know they made ingots in 958 👍

[stefffana]

36 minutes ago, Mobius said:

Yep, according to Silver Makers Marks, JD is err... JD! Big help.

It's too modern for any of my reference books too I'm afraid.

 

Time for conspiracy theories, guys!

 

 

John Dee was astrological and scientific advisor of Queen Elizabeth I. His work and studies in alchemy and mystical/paranormal/spiritual/parapsychology and other dirty minds stuffs for that era are very well know, but the final result of this work is covered in fog and clouds. We don't know if he managed to learn how to reincarnate himself. Maybe he did it!

In 1577 he started a diary about these studies. He loved from all his heart his queen and promised her that he will do something remarkable for her memory in the years will come. The diary is not very clear, but he mentioned there about Britannia and about the purity of the chemical element named "argentum".

After exactly 400yrs, an ingot made from Britannia "argentum" is made to celebrate who? The second Queen Elizabeth and it is signed JD. This JD maker made only these ingots and disappeared probably for another 400yrs.

John Dee (in the flesh of one of his multiples reincarnations) did exactly what he promised!

 

 

 

[stefffana]

@Mobius, your turn now, mate!😘

[Roy]

I have a few of these ingots.

What I've noticed is that the 1977 dated ingots are Britannia silver and the other dates, i.e. 1976, 1979 etc. are sterling silver.

I guess it was deemed appropriate to use Britannia silver for the Jubilee year? Interesting, and something new to discover.

 

[stefffana]

1 minute ago, Roy said:

I have a few of these ingots.

What I've noticed is that the 1977 dated ingots are Britannia silver and the other dates, i.e. 1976, 1979 etc. are sterling silver.

I guess it was deemed appropriate to use Britannia silver for the Jubilee year? Interesting, and something new to discover.

 

Yes, because John Dee tried to make special the "argentum" jubilee and the 400th anniversary of his diary promise. 

[stefffana]

On a serious note, only on silver jubilee year 1977 was used the silver jubilee optional mark.

[Roy]

So, the first ingot is 958 and this one:

is sterling 925? 👍

edit: I understand you now Steff, some of the 1977 ingots are sterling and others are britannia silver.

Cheers 😎

Edited August 11, 2023 by Roy

[SidS]

That one's sterling.

Britannia silver has the seated Britannia mark, sterling has the lion passant mark.

[Mobius]

10 hours ago, stefffana said:

Time for conspiracy theories, guys!

 

10 hours ago, stefffana said:

@Mobius, your turn now, mate!😘

Well, you see Sheffield and JD on some silver and you think James Dixon.
But he died in 1852.

Or did he....