Antique 1899 English Hallmarked Sterling Nurse Belt Buckle Birmingham England
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:643997 | Type: Nurse Buckle |
| UPC: Does Not Apply | Age: 1900-1940 |
| Composition: Sterling Silver |
This is an Antique English 1899 Birmingham Hallmarked Sterling Nurse Belt Buckle.
At the time of the original listing, we are in the process of listing a large number of antique and vintage items purchased in England. These items are an eclectic mix including gold and sterling jewelry, and many unique, and in some cases, one of a kind items, in wood, brass, and iron, and other materials as well. At that time, we had a variety of other antique... Mauchline ware listings, all purchased on the most recent, or on prior trips to England.
Among these items are quite a variety of hallmarked sterling pieces, including three nurse buckles of which this is one. The information I received from multiple of the sellers was that these buckles were at the height of their popularity from the latter part of the Victorian Era through the Edwardian Era, and possibly beyond (i.e. post 1910). I was told that during this period that it was traditional for a nurse to receive one of these buckles as a graduation gift from nursing school. Multiple sellers told me that these are belt buckles and that is the attribution I found for may online. However, there is quite a bit of information online, and one article I read stated that this type of two piece buckle was more commonly used as a clasp for the nurse's cloak. I do not have any first hand information in that regard. I looked at a number of nurse images online, but I found it surprising hard to find any good closeup photos of such buckles on belts or clips. My wife and I did notice that some of the nurse midwife actresses on "Call the Midwife" (set quite a bit later than these buckles) were wearing buckles that appeared to be similar.
I also found a good article on the intricate, time consuming hand work by a skilled silversmith that was required to create the buckles. The process involved use of a template, drilling a small hole for each area of openwork, and then cutting out the design in each area with a small jewelers' saw. You may wish to read the article. It was stated to be copyrighted, so I did not include it in this listing.
At the time of the original listing, we also had our last unsold listing still available in our ebay store for another antique English hallmarked sterling nurse's buckle, the only one remaining from a number listed from prior trips to England.
This beautiful buckle is heavily chased with ornate scroll work designs, in keeping the Art Nouveau Period in which it was made.
One side of the buckle has a full set of English hallmarks on the back. The other side redundantly has only the silver purity mark and date letter. The full hallmarked side is also stamped with a number 3 that I assume is probably a design style or a size mark. The hallmarks are: Makers Mark - "A & L Lo" in an oblong cartouche. I found an attribution for this mark as Adie & Lovekin Ltd., Frederick Street, Birmingham. Town / Assay Mark - The Anchor of Birmingham. Silver purity mark - The lion passant indicating sterling silver purity Date letter - Upper case Z in the font style and rounded retangular cartouche style for Birmingham, Cycle V, 1899
The photos are close-ups. The size relative to a ruler is shown in the photos. The buckle is 3" wide and 2 1/4" high. The total weight of the sterling buckle is 20 grams.
Condition The buckle is in excellent condition. I did some polishing but there is still a little remaining patination, with a bit more on the back that could be left as is or further polished by the buyer as desired.Please visit our ebay store to view a wide variety of antique, vintage and contemporary items.International Buyers – Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying.Customs fees are normally charged by the shipping company or collected when you pick the item up. These fees are not additional shipping charges.Our shipping labels are generate through ebay with automatic generation of customs forms and valuation. We will not under-value merchandise or mark the item as a gift on customs forms. Doing that is against U.S. and international laws.We pride ourselves on multiple, large, clear photos. Please scrolldown past the description to view any additional photos. Customer satisfaction is our priority as demonstrated by our 100% positive feedback and a 5 Star rating in all four of the ebay Detailed Ratings Categories. Many of our listings offer free shipping. Where feasible we provide combined, discounted shipping. We are continuously listing interesting antique, vintage, and contemporary items, so please add us to your Saved Sellers Shipping and Payment see Shipping tab above.Return Policy see Shipping tab above.
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At the time of the original listing, we are in the process of listing a large number of antique and vintage items purchased in England. These items are an eclectic mix including gold and sterling jewelry, and many unique, and in some cases, one of a kind items, in wood, brass, and iron, and other materials as well. At that time, we had a variety of other antique... Mauchline ware listings, all purchased on the most recent, or on prior trips to England.
Among these items are quite a variety of hallmarked sterling pieces, including three nurse buckles of which this is one. The information I received from multiple of the sellers was that these buckles were at the height of their popularity from the latter part of the Victorian Era through the Edwardian Era, and possibly beyond (i.e. post 1910). I was told that during this period that it was traditional for a nurse to receive one of these buckles as a graduation gift from nursing school. Multiple sellers told me that these are belt buckles and that is the attribution I found for may online. However, there is quite a bit of information online, and one article I read stated that this type of two piece buckle was more commonly used as a clasp for the nurse's cloak. I do not have any first hand information in that regard. I looked at a number of nurse images online, but I found it surprising hard to find any good closeup photos of such buckles on belts or clips. My wife and I did notice that some of the nurse midwife actresses on "Call the Midwife" (set quite a bit later than these buckles) were wearing buckles that appeared to be similar.
I also found a good article on the intricate, time consuming hand work by a skilled silversmith that was required to create the buckles. The process involved use of a template, drilling a small hole for each area of openwork, and then cutting out the design in each area with a small jewelers' saw. You may wish to read the article. It was stated to be copyrighted, so I did not include it in this listing.
At the time of the original listing, we also had our last unsold listing still available in our ebay store for another antique English hallmarked sterling nurse's buckle, the only one remaining from a number listed from prior trips to England.
This beautiful buckle is heavily chased with ornate scroll work designs, in keeping the Art Nouveau Period in which it was made.
One side of the buckle has a full set of English hallmarks on the back. The other side redundantly has only the silver purity mark and date letter. The full hallmarked side is also stamped with a number 3 that I assume is probably a design style or a size mark. The hallmarks are: Makers Mark - "A & L Lo" in an oblong cartouche. I found an attribution for this mark as Adie & Lovekin Ltd., Frederick Street, Birmingham. Town / Assay Mark - The Anchor of Birmingham. Silver purity mark - The lion passant indicating sterling silver purity Date letter - Upper case Z in the font style and rounded retangular cartouche style for Birmingham, Cycle V, 1899
The photos are close-ups. The size relative to a ruler is shown in the photos. The buckle is 3" wide and 2 1/4" high. The total weight of the sterling buckle is 20 grams.
Condition The buckle is in excellent condition. I did some polishing but there is still a little remaining patination, with a bit more on the back that could be left as is or further polished by the buyer as desired.Please visit our ebay store to view a wide variety of antique, vintage and contemporary items.International Buyers – Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying.Customs fees are normally charged by the shipping company or collected when you pick the item up. These fees are not additional shipping charges.Our shipping labels are generate through ebay with automatic generation of customs forms and valuation. We will not under-value merchandise or mark the item as a gift on customs forms. Doing that is against U.S. and international laws.We pride ourselves on multiple, large, clear photos. Please scrolldown past the description to view any additional photos. Customer satisfaction is our priority as demonstrated by our 100% positive feedback and a 5 Star rating in all four of the ebay Detailed Ratings Categories. Many of our listings offer free shipping. Where feasible we provide combined, discounted shipping. We are continuously listing interesting antique, vintage, and contemporary items, so please add us to your Saved Sellers Shipping and Payment see Shipping tab above.Return Policy see Shipping tab above.
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