blade by John Leslie marked IL, ABD, handle by William Jamieson marked WJ, Edinburgh 1836, of Fiddle Pattern with script initials JDG to terminal , the shaped blade with reeded border and pierced ribboned central panel (28.5cm long, 4.2oz) Literature: For an example of William Jamieson re marking and reselling a c.1740 bullet tea pot by Alexander Forbes of Aberdeen see Fine Scottish Silver , Lyon & Turnbull 13 th February 2008 lot 137, additionally illustrated in Silver: The Aberdeen Story , page 133. Note: This seemingly simple Aberdeen fish slice appears to tell a much wider story of the trade of silver within the city and doubtless how business was conducted throughout Scotland as well. It has long been discussed that silversmiths would take in trade for payment or to re work out of date or old fashioned silver from clients. Part of silver's great appeal was this ability to re work and refashion or use its base value as wealth. In this instance it appears that a fish slice by John Leslie of Aberdeen (working 1773 - 1824) has been either refashioned at a client's request or when it has been used as payment for work William Jamieson of Aberdeen (working 1806 – 1840) it has been re-modelled. It is obvious by the two set of marks to the piece that this has happened. The blade with John Leslie mark of circa 1785 and the handle with full Edinburgh hallmarks with William Jamieson as maker in 1836. This has presumably been done to bring the fish slice up to fashionable standards of 1836 and convert it from, likely, Old English pattern to Fiddle pattern. Whether it was the commissioning client's or Jamieson seeing an opportunity we shall not know.