Blue Glass Bead Necklace String

Discoid miniature clock face with central hole, Roman numerals in the outer band, rococo design and scroll with 'LONDON'. 6.79 grams, 32 mm



Found on various UK sites since 1974. Property of an Essex collector.

With octagonal plaque and chamfered edges, incuse design including an arrow and enigmatic pseudo-text. 12.11 grams, 23.32 mm overall, 19.10 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R 1/2, USA 8 3/4, Europe 19.38, Japan 18)



Private collection formed since the 1940s. UK art market. Property of an Essex gentleman.

By William Smith and Charles Eaton; obverse: head with radiate crown; reverse: crowned figure with dagger and chalice. 112 grams, 10.7 cm



From the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968.

"Billy and Charlies", also known as the Shadwell forgeries, refer to a very extensive series of fake antiquities made in Victorian London by William Smith (Billy) and Charles Eaton (Charley). They were mudlarks who searched the Thames for items of value. William Edwards, a London antique dealer, made Billy's acquaintance around about 1845, and he met Charley some years later. He paid them for items of interest that they found. Billy and Charley earned money from this until 1857, when they decided to counterfeit antiquities. They cast objects from lead or pewter, cutting dies into plaster of Paris moulds with nails and knives, and bathing the finished items in acid to simulate aging. Their commonest products were medallions, but others included daggers, statuettes, ampullae and even small shrines; as they were both illiterate the inscriptions on many of the objects are nonsense. They sold their forgeries to very prominent collectors of the time who thought they were genuine. Eventually, due to the large volume of objects that were appearing on the market, they were arrested and tried at court though they could not be found guilty of any crime at the time. They were released and carried on producing fakes but their style of manufacture had become well known and they eventually disappeared from history.