Silver Calling Card Case

Object/Artifact

Bay Village Historical Society

Name/Title

Silver Calling Card Case

Entry/Object ID

2002.C.28

Description

Chased sterling silver calling card case. Personal size for man's pocket. Belonged to Howard L. Parsons, father of Louella Meyer of Bay Village. Chased silver features ferns and flower motifs. The front of the case has two flags crossing each other. The left flag is for the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Limited. The right flag is a version of the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Steamship Co. The Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Steamship Co. Ltd. was officially purchased by the Union Steam Ship Company in 1910. The hidden edge has a series of silver marks. The first mark is a heart with "W B / L D" inside. This is for Williams (Birmingham) Ltd., a silversmith originally on Hockley Street, Birmingham, England. The mark was registered in April 1905. The second mark is an anchor inside of a square, this is the town mark for Birmingham and the Assay Office which verified the piece. The third mark is a lion passant facing left, and is used by the Assay Office to mark sterling silver fineness. The fourth, and final, mark is an O inside of a square, which is the date letter and identifies the year the piece was verified by the Assay Office. This mark, combined with the styling and order of the town mark and fineness mark, date this piece as verified in 1913. This card case appears to commemorate the partnership between the Union Steam Ship Co. and the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Steamship Co. These shipping lines passed through the Great Lakes. Reference: Flags https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Company https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ca~hfcp.html http://www.flotilla-australia.com/can-oz.htm http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/canauroyalmail.shtml Actual record of Canadian-Australian Steamship Co. flag http://collections.anmm.gov.au/objects/6650/remembrance-rmms-aorangi--canadian-australian-steamship-com Silvermarks https://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Makers/London-WA-WB.html#WB http://www.silvercollection.it/DICTIONARYDECRYPTINGUKSTERLINGMARKS.html

Dimensions

Width

1-5/8 in

Depth

1/4 in

Length

3-1/4 in