Antique Kettle, English Silver, with full hallmarks: J.A. maker’s mark, the Lion Passant for Silver, boxed capital P for the year of assay, 1899, and the Birmingham mark of the Anchor.
Completely handmade, this sweet little bauble would have been made to hang from a Silver chain bracelet or neck-chain, or from a Silver Albert, perhaps along with other equally compact and interesting Silver baubles.
Hallmarking, or inspection stamps, punch marks, is a system of consumer protection in the matter of precious metals, especially Silver, that goes back thousands of years. England began her system of Silver hallmarks around 1300, though the actual term “hallmark” seems not to have been used in relation to the system until the early 1700s, the term stemming from the Goldsmith’s Hall of London.