Stock No. 3009	George III silver handled fish slice
Most attractive George III silver fish slice with a silver handle. London 1797. The maker of the slice appears to be I.S overstriking another. The maker's mark on the handle is that of Moses Brent. The actual slice curves out from two shoulders and then comes to a peak. Each point of the slice curves gently upwards. Beneath the shoulders, the slice has a short faceted stem by which it is joined to the silver handle. The handle is reeded with a pointed terminal The decoration on the slice is bright- cut and is very crisp. The centre of the slice has a pierced section which echoes the shape of the slice. The piercing is in the shape of bright-cut scrolls and leaves and vertically, in the centre of these scrolls, is a very amusing fish (probably a salmon) with a most contented expression on its face. The bright-cut scales look extremely effective. The full set of hallmarks are stamped on the reverse of the slice and are very crisp and clear but it is difficult to read the maker's mark because it has been overstruck. The maker's mark for Moses Brent is struck on the front of the silver handle and the duty mark, the lion passant and the date mark are struck on the reverse. The date mark on the handle and the slice are the same and both stand for 1797. Maker :- I.S overstruck. Handle Moses Brent

Condition :-Very good condition indeed. Some small insignificant scratches from use and a little bit of crumbling of solder at the join with the handle but this is just a sign of its age and the slice as a whole is in a pleasing state and fit for use
Hallmarked :- London 1797
Size :-	12 inches (30.5 cm) long 3.9 inches (9.9 cm) at widest point of slice
Weight :- 4.88 ozt (151.4 g)
The shape of this very attractive slice lends itself to a number of uses other than serving fish. It could easily be used to serve gateau, quiche, pizza or any type of pie. The overstriking of a maker's mark was quite a common habit in the eighteenth century with small objects of domestic silver. If a silversmith needed a particular object and it was not his speciality or he was in a hurry, he would acquire it from another silversmith and strike his own mark on top or overstrike the maker's mark in such a way that it was obliterated. For example, George Giles frequently overstruck cream jugs and other small items made by Hester Bateman. Moses Brent had a virtual monopoly in his day as a specialist knifehaft and blade maker and he constantly supplied such famous firms as Rundell, Bridge and Rundell for their best customers.

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