Stock No. 2638	Victorian silver gunpowder flask
	Interesting Victorian sterling silver gunpowder flask. Birmingham 1844 by Joseph Willmore. The body of the flask is a gently curved oval. The flask's mouth has a screw-on lid. On the inside, the lid has a cylindrical tube fixed to it which runs almost the full length of the flask's body. The remainder of the inside of the lid is covered with a layer of cork which is now crumbling slightly. On the outside of the top of the lid there is a small silver protrusion centrally, while to one side of this there is a small circular hole. The top of the lid has a bayonet action which aligns the hole with the tube inside the lid so that the gunpowder can be poured out of the flask. A reversal of the bayonet action closes the lid so that the gunpowder cannot pour out accidentally. The maker's mark and the hallmarks of the Queen's head (duty mark) and the lion passant (standard mark) are clearly stamped on one side of the body of the flask. On the other side, the maker's mark is stamped again as well as the Birmingham Assay mark and the Birmingham date letter mark for 1844. Although the lid is not hallmarked on the outside, it was usual to stamp the hallmarks on the inside beneath the cork.
	Maker :- Joseph Willmore

Condition :-Extremely good condition throughout with a pleasing patina and good, clear hallmarks
Hallmarked :- Birmingham 1844
Size :- 4.4 inches (111.8 cm) long x 2.6 inches (6.6 cm) wide
Weight :- 2.62 ozt (81.3 g)
Although gunpowder flasks were made out of horn and many other materials, not many flasks made from silver have survived.

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