The Early History of Irish Silver

Highly collectable and capital, Irish metal work has been around since the thirteenth century and although goldsmiths were around in this title practiced is no mention of the actual formation of a guild or company until 1498 and it wasn ' t until 1605 that mention is made of a makers mark or a city mark on a Dublin plate.

The laws for Irish silver were eventually set by Charles I in 1637, in his charter good to the goldsmiths of Dublin he ruled, that no gold or silver was to be of less generosity than the standard of England.

The Irish parliament tightened things further in 1729 with the enactment that plate should be assayed by the assay master and bear the demigod ' s stamp, the harp booming, and the date letter.

An additional fourth stamp was more in 1730, by categorization of the Commissioners of Levy, to denote that the duty had been paid.

Irish Assay Aid

Ireland had 5 main assay backing

1. Dublin The Dublin Assay Office is the only remaining Irish Assay Office in reason today. Up until 1923 the Dublin Assay Office was subjected to the corresponding laws ascendant silver production in England and Scotland. The implementation of the Irish Paper State in 1922 meant that laws were made and governed from Dublin, however the hallmarking system still remained foxy much the equivalent and the convenience of the seated Hibernia figure was retained by the Dublin Assay Office as their Assay mark.

2. Cork The city of Cork has never had a date letter. Before 1715 the city arms ( a boat in full sail between two castles ) was used with the makers mark. Nearest this date however the only mark used at Cork was the talk ' Sterling ' accompanied by the makers initials. However often the word ' sterling ' was replaced with ' Dollar ', the word ' Dollar ' is to inform that the silver was used for plate, much of it being melted down for Spanish silver dollars.

3. New Geneva This small village near Watford assayed items using the harp as their Assay Office mark.

4. Limerick The 17th century saw this Assay Office mark its silver with the fleur de lis.

5. Youghal The 17th century saw this provincial assay office strike items with the town make of a single masted ship.

Finding Collectable Pieces

Many people collect silver by maker of the pieces, some popular makers you may come across when learning about or collecting Irish silver could be;

West & Son - They made some exceptional pieces including Victorian four piece tea services, as well as some fantastic coffee and tea pots throughout the George VI reign. Many of which were made in the popular Queen Anne Style. John Smith - He made pieces from the period of 1871 through to 1911 and mainly focused on loose items of flatware, such as spoons. However he also made some elaborate silver pieces such as Monteith bowls during the Victorian period.

A lot of collectors focus on a particular item instead of the maker. Irish silversmiths make a lot of sauceboats, ladles and flatware, at the smaller end of the scale yet they can then produce the most impressive embossed and highly chased salvers.

Not only is it the maker that can make the piece collectable, with Irish silver it is also where it is assayed. As Dublin is the only Assay office left if you can find pieces which were assayed outside of Dublin then the rarity of these pieces make them also highly collectable as they are very scarce.

Where to find Irish Silver?

If you simply want to view some Irish Silver and find out more about the craft, he National Museum of Ireland showcases one of the largest collections of Irish silver in the world. It also educated you on the assaying, mining and crafting of this precious metal.

However if you are looking at collecting Irish silver pieces you are best speaking to Lapada registered antique dealer and getting their advice on the best pieces to collect, depending on your reasons for collecting.

Andrew Campbell writes article for Acsilver. co. uk about antique sterling silver and diamond jewellery. Andrew Campbell, founder of AC Silver, has been dealing in antique, vintage and contemporary sterling silver, diamond and gemstone jewellery since 1977. Over the years, Andrews passion and interest in high quality items crafted in silver grew, and AC Silver flourished. The now established and internationally recognised online store AC Silver offers customers from all around the world with a wide range of items ranging from coffee and tea pots to bowls, clocks, claret jugs and much more, along with a professional yet personal service. For premium coffeee pots and tea sets, AC Silver is the choice. Find out about antique and vintage silver teapots and coffee sets today.

The Early History Of The London Stock Exchange

The history of the goods of stock exchange has been argued to have had its origins in Ancient Rome. Although practiced is a deficiency of individuality as to where stock exchanges originated, most historians agree that the formation of the Dutch East India Trading Company was a major turning point. The company was set up in 1602 as a joint - stock company that had tradable shares. The impression of this reached England and upon William of Oranges ascension to the English scepter new changes were made to the finance system in England. William wanted to green wars and modernise the countrys specie. The number one qualification bonds were issued in 1693 and the Bank of England was set up a season next. Within a matter of second childhood English joint - stock companies began to hardihood public.

Though the Royal Exchange was set up in 1571 by Thomas Gresham as a stock exchange the beginnings of the London Stock Exchange did not start until wholesome over a century next. Fairly surprisingly the roots of the London Stock Exchange were not in a bank or fresh capital planning but in coffee - shops. During the 17th century stock - brokers were not allowed in the Royal Exchange, this was supposedly due to their rowdiness and rudeness. As a creature they were forced to felicitous elsewhere, usually in nearby coffee shops. The main place that these stockbrokers met was in Jonathans Coffee - Stomping grounds in Change ( or Exchange ) Alley.

At these meetings a stock broker called John Casting began to list the prices of some commodities, exchange rates and provisions. The list was called The Course of the Exchange and other things. It was not published every day and was only put up a few days a week. Public auctions were held that were known as by the inch of candle auctions as they would only last as long as a length of candle could burn for. New companies joined the activity and as stocks grew the group moved to Garraways coffee house. This activity is arguably the first evidence of organised trading in marketable securities in London.

The reasoning behind the flourishing of stock exchanges in the coffee houses was partly due to the rules of the Royal Exchange. Though it housed brokers, merchandise and merchants and was the first regulated stock market, it had a number of problems. Parliament issued an act in 1697 that introduced heavy penalties and fines to brokers who were unlicensed. The number of brokers who could trade in the Royal Exchange was also limited to one hundred. These restrictions pushed brokers away from the Royal Exchange and out on to the streets and coffee shops of Change Alley.

This continued for a time with the popularity of coffee shops waning and growing over the years. The coffee shops were particularly popular after the Seven Years War. Eventually 150 brokers at Jonathans Coffee House started a more formal version of the stock exchange in Sweetings Alley in 1773. The brokers moved away from Jonathans and built their own building that had both a dealing room and a coffee room this building became known as The Stock Exchange and had a set entrance fee. However, in order to deal with fraud annual membership fees were introduced in 1801 and the Exchange was turned into a regulated exchange. The London Stock Exchange was born. As of December 2011, the London Stock Exchange was the largest in Europe and the fourth - largest in the world.

The Stock Exchange was not always easily accessible to those with smaller funds. This was not introduced until the beginnings of investment trusts. Through using an investment trust smaller subscribers could pool their resources and invest in similar ways to wealthier subscribers. The idea was that shares should be available to everyone and that the risk should be spread. One of the earliest investment trusts was set up in 1868, it was called the Foreign and Colonial Government Trust ( now known as F&C ). Another investment trust that was started in the early days and is still running today is the Witan Investment Trust that is one of the largest trusts on the Stock Exchange. It was founded in 1909, initially to manage the funds and estate of the Lord Farringdon. The introduction of investment trusts allowed more people to enter the world of the stock market and brought the Stock Exchange much closer to what it is today.

The Egyptians, Greeks and Hippocrates - Cancer History Then and Now

Hippocrates of ancient Greece is considered one of the most dominant figures in the history of medicine. Much information about the history of cancer has been credited to Hippocrates with the recognition of treatment of tumors which he named karcinos. That proper name evolved to cancer. He was born in 461 BC in Kos, Greecre and his medical career extended from 421 - 404 BC. He was born to a wealthy family and the cash allowed him to inherit a fine education. He excelled in mathematics, music, poetry, philosophy and athletics. His father was again a physician and Hippocrates learned much as he went along when his father visited his patients. Hippocrates besides traveled and brought his teachings to surrounding areas..

In the early days of his practice, although his teaching and his medical deductions in regard to connatural precaution medicine was accepted by most people and by those he taught. the authorities did not concede. They set themselves up as mediators and spokesmen for the gods of that day, including those who ruled over health. Hippocrates was imprisoned for 20 age over his postulation that diseases had usual causes quite than as the payoff of superstitions and gods. Season he was in prison, he wrote a paper called " The Complicated Body " and included his mind in the curing function of nature and that the body could regenerate itself. His writing encompassed many things about the body that we know to be wash today.

From further of his writings, " On the Physician, ". he wrote that the physician should always be hardy - kept, trustworthy, reposing, sympathetic, earnest, on track close attention to the patient and all that surrounded the patient.

Hippocrates established the Hippocrates School of Medicine in the days of ancient Greece and it was this school which established medicine as a profession.

Cancer is not a new disease. The contributions of the ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures have made it possible for medical practitioners to have a greater knowledge of cancer today. Although Hippocrates contributed much to cancer research and that he named the disease, he was not the first to discover the disease.

The world ' s oldest documented cases of cancer were from ancient Egypt in 1500 BC. The details of the discovery of 8 tumors on the breast was recorded on papyrus and describes how the tumors were treated by cauterization which was the method used to destroy tissue with a hot instrument called a " fire drill ". The only other treatment was palliative. Evidence also shows that the Egyptians could discern whether a tumor was benign or malignant. Surface tumors were removed by surgery similar to the way they are removed today.

The modern trend is " oncological disease ", which is a better description, since the scientific studies of its nature, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, recovery and palliative care of the disease called " cancer " must have coordinated treatment.

Today oncology includes surgery, internal medicine, radiotherapy, anatomical pathology, clinical and fundamental research. The oncologist does not work alone. He is a member of a team where everyone has to have a thorough knowledge of all the other descriptions related to the study of cancer. The team of medical personnel who took care of me were all housed in one building and I had only short walks to the lab, to the infusion room, to the surgeon, the cardiologist, the primary physician, the diagnostic scans, the colonoscopy specialist and each of these specialist were included in the loop following my care. A physician inserted a port right above my right breast so that I didn ' t have to have a needle in the arm for the scans and infusions. The vein where it was inserted became clogged and the port had to be redone. It was attached to my jugular vein and remains there today so that when I go for my 3 months checkups, the technicians can access the port to take my scan which is much easier, quicker for them and more comfortable for me.

Many medical improvements, such as the widely available anesthesia which was introduced in 1846 and the invention of the x - ray in 1885 have been introduced into the improvement of cancer treatment. The discovery of a chemical in the mustard gas used in WWI was found to reduce white blood cells. Chemotherapy was born in 1919, but did not record its first success until 1947 with the remission of a pediatric leukemia patient. The year of 1964 brought research which showed a connection from smoking to cancer. The biggest push for cancer research came after President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act in 1971. Following quickly after the Act became law, the CT scan was developed in 1972 and there was a discovery of chromosome abnormalities in cancer patients in 1973. In 1981 the FDA approved the vaccine for treatment of hepatitis which is one of the primary causes of liver cancer During the early 1990 ' s for the first time, overall cancers began to fall. The FDA approved Gleevec, the first drug to target a specific gene mutation and in this year of 2012 cancer survivors total 12 million, a four fold increase in survivors since the Act was signed and a 20 percent increase since 2001.

Good ideas for today from Hippocrates: " Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food " and " Foolish is the doctor who despises the knowledge acquired by the ancients. "

The gaming history of Super Mario, from Donkey Kong to the Super Mario Land

Mario hit the ground running in 1981 with the release of Donkey Kong. However, back then he went by the handle of Jumpman and his intention in life was rescuing his lover Pauline from the clutches of the drum - hurling gorilla. He mutual in 1982, changing his pet name to Mario in the suit, but this time he was the blackguard of the game. Proceeds the imprisoned Donkey Kong in a close fitting cage, Mario is prey down by Donkey Kong Jr., who ' s out to reclamation his dear old dad.

Luigi got his maiden appearance in 1983 in the arcade game, Mario Bros. Mario ' s Bombs Away and Mario ' s Cement Factory again hit the shelves on the Nintendo Game and Watch. 1984 was all about the cameo for Mario. He was the referee in Tennis on the NES as well as playing in the bonus round of Pinball, where he ran about with a big tray on his head. He also featured in Donkey Kong Hockey Game & Watch.

Mario suddenly became " super " in 1985 with the release of Super Mario Bros. on the NES. It was a game of genius proportions, which is still as addictive today as it was when it was first released. He also appeared in Wrecking Crew for then NES, but it was Super Mario Bros. that put him on the computer games map permanently.

1986 was a re - port year for Mario with the old arcade classics Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. making their way onto the Nintendo Entertainment System. The same year also saw Vs. Super Mario Bros. hitting the arcades.

In 1987 Mario got into boxing in a big way as he was taken on as the referee in Punch Out ( NES ), helping Kid Joe make it big in a dog eat dog world. The arcade game Mario Bros. also made the transfer to the NES in 1987, but it ' s definitely a year that will be remembered for Mazza ' s TKO count.

Although ' 88 is the year that Mario bundled up with Duck Hunt, the biggest release was Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES. Made because the original Japanese sequel wasn ' t thought to be good enough to wow the US market, Nintendo combined M to the izo with Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic, another Japanese game released around that time, which took Mario in a new Wart filled, surreal adventure.

Mario went all monochrome and hand - held in 1989 with the advent of the Game Boy. His first release was Super Mario Land - which would much later be remembered in Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS - as well as cameos in Dr. Mario ( Game Boy and NES ) and F1 Race on the Game Boy, in which he could be seen waving the chequered flag of victory.

The first 10 year history of Super Mario was pretty epic, lending itself to the fact that Mario owned the gaming landscape of the 80s. The 90s lay ahead and what another 10 years they would prove to be.