Antique 1802 Sterling Silver SOY Decanter Label John Robins London For Sale

A highly unusual Georgian sterling silver bottle label / bottle ticket engraved “SOY”, dating to 1802 and hallmarked in London during the reign of King George III.

The label is a small rounded rectangular plaque with a double-line border and the word “SOY” engraved prominently across the front. It is suspended from its original-style chain, designed to hang around the neck of a bottle or decanter.

The reverse carries a complete and particularly interesting group of English hallmarks.

• John Robins maker\'s mark — John Robins was a London silversmith active from approximately 1775 to 1806.
• Lion Passant — the traditional mark for sterling silver of 925/1000 fineness.
• Leopard\'s Head — London Assay Office mark. The leopard\'s head has identified London-hallmarked silver since the 16th century.
• Date Letter “G” — corresponding to 1802 in the London date-letter cycle.
• George III Duty Mark — the sovereign\'s head was used on English silver from 1784 to 1890 to indicate payment of the precious-metal duty. From 1786, the George III head faced right in an oval mark.

Soy sauce was already known in Britain long before 1802. Historical sources record soy being imported from the East Indies and sold in England, and an 1802 London advertisement specifically lists Indian Soy among commercially available sauces.

An especially interesting parallel is held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: its collection includes an English London silver bottle ticket engraved “SOY”, dated approximately 1780–1810. The existence of this museum example demonstrates that dedicated silver bottle labels for soy sauce were indeed made during this period.

This makes the present example a fascinating surviving piece of Georgian dining and table culture, particularly for collectors of antique English silver, bottle tickets and historical culinary objects.

• Label: approx. 2.3 × 1.2 cm
• Weight: 2.8 g
• Sterling silver: 925/1000