The establishment of the assay office at Birmingham in 1773 was largely as a result of the efforts of one man, Matthew Boulton.
Other than the magnificent productions from Boulton's Soho factory, the majority of Birmingham silver up until the late Victorian period emanated from the "toymen" in the form of smallware: boxes, caddy spoons, wine labels and the like. Standard tableware spoons with Birmingham marks are relatively scarce until mass production became prevalent.
