Victorian George Unite & Sons sterling silver ‘Brandy’ bottle ticket.
An English Victorian sterling silver bottle ticket / wine label, 2 ⅛ inches wide x 1 15/16 inches high, made in Birmingham by George Unite & Sons (1865-1928) in 1876. The Escutcheon / Scroll shaped ticket has a long wide cartouche in its center formed by two parallel vertical lines that are surrounded above and below by engraved scrolling foliage / feathers. This cartouche is engraved in large upper case letters “BRANDY”. It retains its original sterling silver chain that extends 3 ¾ inches when its center is pulled to a point. The back is impressed with the following touchmarks near the top:
Monarchs head duty mark – Queen Victoria (1837-1901) facing left / Dexter
Lion Passant in a rectangular cartouche with canted corners denotes sterling silver
Anchor in a rectangular cartouche with canted corners – Birmingham town mark
“Y” in a square cartouche with canted corners is the year code for 1873
Centered below the above marks is:
“GU” in a rectangular cartouche with canted corners denotes makers George Unite & Sons
