BRITISH VICTORIAN /EDWARDIAN STERLING SILVER OFFICERS\' BELT POUCH AND RELIQUARY For Sale

This is a genuine Victorian British sterling silver cross belt pouch cover for an officer, resting in a velvet lined reliquary that I believe is pre1900 gutta-percha. I’m an old man now and have been collecting most of my longlife. I have seen dozens of these sterling pouches but none assingularly unique as this one. The date mark in the hall mark isdifficult to read as it has been polished so often over the years.I know that it is pre 1890 as that was the year they stopped usingVictoria’s image to demonstrate the payment of the duty on thepiece bearing it. The lion passant (facing left) mark (London andother English Assay Offices) and the leopard\'s head uncrownedshows it was made in London post 1821. In any case, the silver ishallmarked as Victorian. However, the monarch’s monogram isdefinitely Edwardian. Victoria’s son, Edward Vll, became king in1901. Although it was common practice to re use a plate that hadbeen in the family for generations, and replace the former monarch’smonogram with that of the currant monarch. It is the style of thatreplacement that has intrigued me for decades.The ER Vll monogramis done in the ornate Victorian style, not the more modern style withwhich hundreds of others were done over the nine years of his reign.I believe this must have been made very early on, perhaps before hiscoronation in August of 1902, and before the new style was introduced.This had to be for a very important person, perhaps the king himself, asdemonstrated by the velvet lined reliquary within which it resides.In any case, a very unique and wonderful piece of history.The last photo is for comparison only and shows a Victorian hall markedpouch that has has the traditional ER VII monogram installed.
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