A Cautionary Tale if Your Pipes Have Ivory

**Ron Abbott** · 9th August 14, 05:52 AM

I recall the US ban on sealskin. The sporran makers started making some really tacky and tatty looking rabbit-skin sporrans for the US market. They didn't look half as nice as the sealskin ones.

I suppose if any ivory pipes also have sterling silver mounts that are hallmarked, that could perhaps be persuasive when it comes to the age of the instrument, although when I worked for two bagpipe makers back in the 80s, I saw a fair few sets of vintage pipes that were mounted in sterling silver but which had no hallmarks.

One of my own sets of bagpipes is mounted in Britannia silver (purer than sterling) and were made in the 1890s and yet not one of the mounts is hallmarked.

**Theyoungkiltman** · 9th August 14, 10:53 AM

OC richard, if you look at the bottom of the f.w.s. webpage it says that the new law did not affect personal possession.

**Theyoungkiltman** · 9th August 14, 10:57 AM

Just out of curiosity ron, how do you know it is Brittania silver if it is not hallmarked? Anyroad it is not just because they want to make sure it is pre-ban but just take all legal and illegal ivory.

**Ron Abbott** · 9th August 14, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by Theyoungkiltman

Just out of curiosity ron, how do you know it is Brittania silver if it is not hallmarked? Anyroad it is not just because they want to make sure it is pre-ban but just take all legal and illegal ivory.

Some of the mounts were tested A very well known Edinburgh jewellers of George Street.
The pipes themselves are Hendersons.

But now you've got me thinking....how do they actually test silver to ascertain purity??

Silver sold in Scotland without hallmarks is certainly not unusual. I've seen a number of sets of silver mounted pipes from the late 1800s/early 1900s without hallmarks before and also seen some other items such as cups/trophies without hallmarks being sold as sterling in highly reputable auctions/quality silverware shops and I've also seen some beautiful Victorian sgian dubhs without hallmarks.

I actually have two other sets of pipes, one also silver (this time hallmarked sterling - with own design for the hand engraving) and ivory but the last set is only imitation ivory and I deliberately bought them for travel purposes about 20 years ago.