Over the years this brooch has been described as, 2/42nd plaid brooch Aberdeen 1842, 42nd officers plaid brooch Edinburgh 1826 and finally Black Watch officers with faint hallmark.
My description is as follows.
42nd officers silver levee dress brooch circa 1850s, bearing a thistle makers mark. A 62mm quoit surmounted by an emerging St. Andrew wearing a sunburst behind head, below the Sphinx battle honour. The whole profusely engraved with a repeating pattern of thistles.
The reverse bears a thistle stamp flanked by two I or J letters which is not an official hallmark although the quoit does appear to be silver. There was a Dundee silversmith Ian Johnson who signed his work I I but have not been able to confirm his dates. The style of the engraving sems to suggest a date of 1850/60.
At a later stage in its life the brooch has been mounted with a silver circlet of 38mm diameter. There are remains of an edge inscription which reads DECUS ET TUTATUM ANNO REGNI LX, which means it was made from a hollowed out 1897 diamond jubilee crown. Perhaps this held a memento of a loved one, a photo or a lock of hair which has since been removed from the brooch, see evidence of prise marks below the thistle mark.
See below dirk mount of RSM Rankin retired 1853, for sunburst details.
Also silver buckle dated Edinburgh 1855, for engraving style comparison.
