Q & A

J.F. of Barrie, Ontario writes:

I recently purchased this gong at an antiques show. It was labelled English gong, 1896. It is 12 inches high, 9-1/2" wide and 4-3/4" deep. On the front of the gong is an engraved figure with the word Burmese under it. There is a number on the back of the gong. I'm not sure of the metal, perhaps brass or gilt bronze. The whole unit weighs about 4 or 5 lbs. It has some dimpling in the metal and a little dent in the bottom right hand corner of the frame. An estimate of its value, whether the date is correct and any information would be greatly appreciated.

We asked Colin Ritchie to respond:

The brass gong is indeed English having a registration mark on the reverse. I will not dispute the date of manufacture given and this can be tracked from the registration number but stylistically I would have put it into the early 20th century.

The mark with Burmese is curious and unknown to me. Unless it is a trademark for an English manufacturer, I might suggest that the gong parts were imported from Burma to England and then assembled there. The rest of the piece is very European in design. The lead weight in the base is meant to keep the piece stable and upright when being vigorously sounded to announce the arrival of a party or to summon folk to the dinner table. Good Fun!

The purchase price was not given by the enquirer but my feeling is this is not an item of great commercial value, I would suggest in the region of $100.00 shop price.