Hello all, BSSM has A. Atkin (Birmingham) starting in 1829, but has no marks that do not have a "Sons" attached. I am wondering therefore if this mark is pre 1829 in that it has no "Sons". It also looks as though it may be earlier from its style, but this is by no means conclusive. It is very hard to tell what the first letter is, but I think that I can see an "A" followed by a dot. I can find no directories for Birmingham before this date to check if such a firm existed. Any ideas. Fred
This is an important starter to the Atkin story: it's certainly the earliest I've seen, and I would even guess (repeat GUESS) that it could have been made in Sheffield before AA moved to Birmingham, driven, he said, from Sheffield by the dominance of the trade unions there. It would do for a saw of c1820, but if it could be proved that it was made in 1830 I wouldn't be surprised: in other words, Who knows? Additional thought The collection of directories in Birmingham library is unparalleled (or used to be, as I've not been since the building was rebuilt) and there is no mention of an Atkin saw maker there before the 1829 issue. Atkin was a frequently found Sheffield name, with Atkins prominent in silver and cutlery manufacture by 1820; it's easy to imagine a younger son like Aaron moving into saw making, but no, I'm afraid I'm not going to start searching one of the infinitely tedious family history websites to see what his origins were.