Many items, such as watches, jewelry and silver wares have marks on them. The appear as small, stamped or inscribed marks in an inconspicuous place on the item. On a silver spoon, it may be on the reverse side, down where the stem and bowl meet. On a ring, it may be inside the ring where it would be invisible while worn.
These marks may be a hallmark, or a trademark/maker’s mark, and there is a distinct difference between these two types of marks, though both are very important as to the value of any given collectible piece.
A hallmark, depending on where the item was manufactured, is a stamp attesting to the materials used to make the item. In european nations, a manufacturer will go to a third party to have them affirm that their items are being produced out of the type of metals stated publicly, and to the level of purity and refinement advertised.
For instance, an item made of 24K gold is of greater value than one made of 18K gold, but it may be hard to tell the difference simply by looking, and most conclusive testing methods are destructive. One would not want to melt down an engagement ring to see if it is 80% platinum or 90%.
These third parties will audit production of fine items, and then allow their hallmark to be stamped or engraved. This stamp tells the owner that the item is in fact made of the materials the creator claims.
Since hallmarks are not from the manufacturer, many manufacturers will also stamp or engrave a trademark so that the owner knows which company created an item. Because these marks are very often right next to each other, the word hallmark is meant to include all the marks that identify what an item is. The combination of marks can sometimes narrow down an item to both its date and city of manufacture, depending on its era.
Skilled collectors, such as those we have at Jewels On Hampton are experts on evaluating both hallmarks and trademarks and researching the value of an item, as well as evaluating the condition and value. Visit our store with your fine collectibles, and we’ll be happy to take a look and help you learn what you have, where it came from and an idea as to its value.
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