Convict Silver

When this item popped up in my park hunt recently it was fortunate that I caught a glimpse of a hallmark through the mud as I had  nearly biffed it not being able to think what it might be.

After washing it when I got home sure enough there were the hallmarks.

The marks read JJ and then the anchor for Birmingham, Lion for Sterling silver and the letter C in a crest shape blank for the year 1800. This got my brain buzzing a bit trying to decide what it was as it is only about 30 mm across and quite delicate. On researching the makers mark of JJ a reasonable possibility of its purpose emerged. 

JJ is the mark of Jacob Josephson a jeweler from England who in the early 1800's apparently got caught with fake pound notes in his pocket and some other stolen property. He was convicted and deported to Australia for 14 years. There he continued his jewelry business as well as dealing in property, eventually becoming a respected local businessman. An online copy of a newspaper advertisement of the day shows he was not just selling jewelry but perfume as well. 

That was the clue that alerted me to believe this find was originally fitted to a perfume bottle and held in place by the cap in a manner similar to the mocked up bottle example below.  Perhaps the three small holes near the fluted edge had  a small charm attached. No doubt it was cheap perfume in a flash bottle and the silver trim placed it in the upper end of the market. Must have looked quite smart when new.These days of course perfume sellers do not need silver as they have plastics to give the same result.

Although this trim is marked sterling silver and looks like silver, can I be sure that dear Jacob had not found a way to fake this as well? And why was it buried in a park? Perhaps ladies took their perfume with them to watch sports in the 1800's 

Well that's my story.

HH