Beaded lemon strainer with duty drawback mark

Stock number 8933 — A beaded duty drawback lemon strainer by Aldridge and Green, London 1785.

Price: £1,950.00

  In December 1784, duty on silver articles was imposed and a special hallmark, the sovereign's head, was added to the marks on assayed silver to signify that duty had been paid.

However, when silver articles were exported, this duty could be reclaimed and, at first a further hallmark was punched into the finished article when that happened. It was soon evident that this punch ruined many of the articles to which it was applied and its use was discontinued in July 1785.

In consequence the mark has survived on relatively few pieces, usually flatware. Being heavier, spoons and forks paid more duty than the lighter and more fragile pieces of hollow ware. Accordingly, good pieces of relatively light hollow ware with this mark well struck are quite rare.

The mark portrays a female figure (Britannia) standing with a spear in her right hand and a shield beneath her left: