Thomas Wallis I

Thomas Wallis 1 registered his first mark in 1758. He died about 1818 and registered several similar marks in the interim. His apprentice Thomas Wallis II was not free until 1779, so all marks registered before that date must belong to Thomas senior.
There are two pairs of tongs on this page, both are lighter than average at only one ounce but in neither case is this beacause they are shorter than usual.

1.

         Makers Mark       Punch getting a little old?

These tongs are very intricate and delicate, they are also quite light. Unusually for cast tongs they have acorn bowls, perhaps indicating they were made late in the period, just before the  change of style away from cast and pierced tongs to the less fragile one piece tongs. The makers mark stamp also appears to have been well used which might also indicate a date late in the period. There is a journeyman's mark alongside it, so it is possible that this pair was actually made by an apprentice (possibly even TW II)
The decoration to the bow is bright cut and contains a vacant cartouche. They are in excellent condition.

Date: 1758 - 1779
Weight: 1 oz
Length: 5 1/2 ins

Bow with vacant cartouche                                                           Sterling Mark

2.

Makers mark      Partly Filled in W                        

These tongs are also very delicate, though not as ornate as 1 above, and in a completely different style are also rather light weighing just 1 oz. They have the more usual shell bowls, and while the mark is not as course as 1 above it also shows signs of wear. The bow has owners initials BB engraved sideways but there is no actual cartouche. The rest of the engraving on the bow is very deeply cut and is the common daisy and leaves design. There is a very small, skillfully done, repair to one arm, which may be contemporary with the casting.

Date: 1758 - 1779
Weight: 1 oz
Length: 5 1/2 ins

               Sterling Mark                                                        Sideways initials on bow