Expert: Martin G Roberts - 6/12/2006

Question
Starting from the handle and moving to the right below the rim my tankard is stamped <1 QUART> <IMPERIAL> <a rosette with M in the middle> <a crown over VR over 57> <a crown over VR over 59> <an oval containing what looks like an H TV aerial!!!> <a circular mark which is like a child's drawing of battlements> <a very small mark L in an oval> <a very small mark K in an apple-core shape> <a very small oval containing what seems to be a wheatsheaf> <a small horizontal oval containing two horizontal bars> <a small circle containing H on its side> <a very small oval containing G> <a very small oval containing P> <a very small oval containing E on its back>.  Lower down  ther individual letters a stamped Q W A R T.  The tankard is straight sided with a broad ring round it at the level of the bottom of the handle, and  six much smaller rings just above the base.  What can you tell me about it?

Answer
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Capacity verifications for Cheshire, a county in north-west England. The small marks with letters are probably date indicators, showing when the capacity was checked. Probably made around 1850. A common type, which probably has a crowned X inside the base.

See www.antique-metalware.co.uk/verifications for background on capacity checks.