A silver metal match case with an engraved crest lies on the open pages of an antique book with red cloth surroundings.

Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian

£162.00
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A silver metal match case with an engraved crest lies on the open pages of an antique book with red cloth surroundings.
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  • A silver metal match case with an engraved crest lies on the open pages of an antique book with red cloth surroundings.
  • A polished silver match case rests on the pages of an open antique book with red cloth lining, surrounded by vintage books and gold-toned accessories.
  • A polished silver match case with an engraved crest is displayed on the pages of an open antique book with red cloth surroundings.
  • A polished silver metal match case with its lid open, resting on the pages of an open antique book with red cloth surroundings.
  • Close-up of a polished silver metal match case engraved with an ornate monogram letter PI.
  • Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian
  • Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian
  • Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian
  • A silver metal match case with an engraved crest lies on the open pages of an antique book with red cloth surroundings.
  • A polished silver match case rests on the pages of an open antique book with red cloth lining, surrounded by vintage books and gold-toned accessories.
  • A polished silver match case with an engraved crest is displayed on the pages of an open antique book with red cloth surroundings.
  • A polished silver metal match case with its lid open, resting on the pages of an open antique book with red cloth surroundings.
  • Close-up of a polished silver metal match case engraved with an ornate monogram letter PI.
  • Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian
  • Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian
  • Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian
Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian

Antique Chester Assay Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Plain Bright Form, Interlaced Script Monogram, Hallmarked 1898, Late Victorian

£162.00
Taxes included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
Description

Chester, 1898. One of England's oldest assay offices, and one of its most characterful.

The Chester Assay Office traced its roots to the seventeenth century and was one of only five provincial offices authorised to hallmark silver in England. By 1898, when this vesta case passed through Chester for marking, the office had been quietly guaranteeing the quality of English silverwork for over two hundred years. Chester closed its doors in 1962, making every piece bearing its sword-and-wheat-sheaves mark a small piece of assay history in its own right.

The case itself is a study in restraint. The form is plain and bright: gently canted corners giving a faceted silhouette, completely undecorated ground on both faces, the silver left to speak entirely for itself. Against that plain ground, the engraved monogram on the front face makes a considerable impact: two letters interlaced in an elaborate Victorian script, worked together with such decorative flourish that the individual letters become something of a puzzle. The engraving is undeniably accomplished regardless of how you read it.

Fully hallmarked: Chester assay mark (sword between three wheat sheaves), date letter P for 1898, lion passant for sterling silver, and maker's mark.

The Particulars:

  • Metal: Sterling silver, 925, fully hallmarked
  • Assay Office: Chester, sword and wheat sheaves mark, active until 1962
  • Date letter: P, 1898
  • Marks: Lion passant, Chester assay mark, date letter P, maker's mark
  • Form: Rectangular with canted corners, plain bright ground, suspension ring at top corner
  • Monogram: Interlaced script engraving to front face. Letters are elaborately intertwined and open to interpretation.
  • Condition: Age wear and patina consistent with period. Please review all photos carefully before purchasing.

Plain silver and an old office mark. Sometimes that is more than enough.

Arrives tucked inside its own treasure coffin and carefully wrapped as a vault relic, ready for gifting or keeping.

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