Gaskell and Chambers Brass Quart Tankard

Description

Heading : A Gaskell and Chambers Brass Quart Tankard
Date : 1936 – 40
Period : George VI
Origin :Birmingham. England
Decoration :  Stamped QUART and GASKELL with verification marks.
Size :  Height 15.8cm. base diameter 11.3cm
Condition : Excellent. limited signs of wear
Restoration : Professionally polished
Weight :  793 grams

Made for the tavern trade for the purpose of measuring liquids. Gaskell and Chambers were one of the foremost manufacturers of all requisites for the licensed trade at a time when Birmingham was “the factory of the world”. This was made during the reign of George VI from 1936  however the factory changed its output to assist the war effort in 1940

The good news is that the quart is still a legal measure in British pubs. Quarts are also highly ergonomic, they reduce total queueing time for a pint by fifty percent .Few quart tankards and measures remain. At £5 per pint of beer there is little wonder. Home use would be advised

In 1826 the Imperial Standard was introduced to replace a number of other standards. A verification mark signifies that the measure has been inspected by an official Weights & Measures Inspector and found to be of the correct capacity. From roughly 1879 onwards a uniform style was adopted consisting of a crown. the monarch’s initials (VR. ER or GR) and a number which signifies the location. Capacity marks became a legal requirement in 1836. The presence of such a mark does not mean the item is post-1836 as vessels made before then which remained in use after 1836 were often marked retrospectively. The word Imperial on a measure shows it was made to the new standard and is therefore post-1826.

For more information on verification marks. see: Marks and Markings of Weights and Measures of the British Isles by Carl Ricketts and John Douglas 1996

Such calibrated tankards are usually pewter or polished pewter or are pewter lined. This is much superior to those.