A hallmark
is an official stamp, mark or device that indicates an item's
authenticity and origin. Hallmarks on Harmony Kingdom figurines
reveal the year the piece was produced, the year the piece was
carved, who the artist is and the edition. Two kinds of hallmarks
are found on Harmony Kingdom figurines: the carved hallmarks
and the Crown Stamp. This information is also found in the Spring
2002 issue of "The Queen's Courier," the official
newsletter of the Royal Watch Collector's Club.
Carved
Hallmarks
The carved
hallmarks are usually located on the exterior of Harmony Kingdom
figurines, although sometimes they are on the lid of the Box
Figurines. Hallmarks do not follow any set sequence. The copyright
symbol © has appeared on all Harmony Kingdom pieces since
1994 and the Harmony Ball Company treble clef has appeared as
a hallmark since 1997.
The year
of creation hallmark indicates the year the carving of the piece
was completed.
Year
of Creation Hallmarks
1995: Apple/Bomb.
The bomb pays tribute to the Oklahoma City tragedy
1996: Diamond/Coffin. Commemorates Martin and Corinna Perry's
tour of a morgue on New Year's Day, 1996.
1997: Heart. The heart shows the excitement over the introduction
of Lord Byron's Harmony Garden® and Lord Byron's search
for love.
1998: Star. Stars appeared on "Sneak Preview," the
first Box Figurine produced in 1998.
1999: Half Moon. The half moon represents the eve of the millennium.
2000: Double diamond/MM. Two capital letter "M's"
in mirror image indicate the year 2000. M is the roman numeral
for 1000.
2001: Smiley Face. We made it to the new millennium! Also references
the smiley faces, or "emoticons" used to show emotion
on the World Wide Web.
2002: Peace Sign. This symbol indicates hopefulness for world
peace.
Each artist
uses a special hallmark to "sign" their work.
Artist
Hallmarks
Peter Calvesbert:
P & C intertwined. This hallmark looks like a snake curled
around a staff. Peter Calvesbert began using this hallmark in
1995.
Peter Calvesbert: PC in circle. In December 1995 Peter Calvesbert
began using this hallmark.
Monique Baldwin: Eye. This unique hallmark belongs to Monique
Baldwin, artist for Harmony Garden.
Adam Binder: Gecko. Adam Binder created this hallmark after
observing a gecko in his yard.
Mark Ricketts: R. Mark Ricketts carves his "R" in
various places on his works.
Sherman Drackett: S in circle.
David Lawrence: DL in circle.
Martin Perry Studios: M in circle.
Ann Richmond: AR. Ann Richmond's "R" appears under
her larger "A."
Version
Numbers and Infinity
From 1997
to 1999, special hallmarks indicated the version of the piece.
In 1999, these edition hallmarks were replaced with an infinity
symbol after the first 5000 boxes. The first 5000 pieces produced
retain the "1" hallmark.Some limited editions may
only have edition number "1."
For Pieces
Produced from January 1997 - January 1999
1 First
3000 boxes
2 Second 3000 boxes
For Pieces
Produced from January 1999 - Present
1 First
5000 boxes
Infinity symbol (?) All pieces after the first 5000.
Another
hallmark is the clock face, used to indicate the month carving
was completed. The clock may have hands or dots to indicate
the month. This hallmark was used from 1995 to 1997.
Crown
Stamp
Harmony
Kingdom's crown stamp appears on all pieces from mid-1995 to
the present. The crown itself remains consistent, but the small
icon at the top of the crown changes from year to year. Thus,
the crown stamp indicates the year of production. This is sometimes
different from the year of carving, as artists may finish their
work in one year but the piece may not actually be produced
until the following year.
The crown
stamp may be found on the base of the box or on the bottom of
the lid. If your Box Figurine has no crown stamp, it probably
was produced sometime before July 1995.
Crown Stamps
- Year of Production
1995 and 1996 Crown stamp with treble clef
1997 Crown stamp with heart
1998 Crown stamp with five-pointed star
1999 Crown stamp with half moon
2000 Crown stamp with double diamond/double M
2001 Crown stamp with smiley face
2002 Crown stamp with peace sign.
Copyright
© 2005 Harmony Ball Company.
All rights reserved.
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