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My sister has found a silver hairbrush in my mum's possessions.
We think it belonged to her mother.
The brush is hall-marked and engraved 30 Feb 1930 - which doesn't make sense.
He mother lived in south Wales and married on 30th Sept 1930. Her married name was Eliza Kemble - which suggests that it was a wedding-related gift.
Any ideas as to why the brush could be engraved 30 Feb 1930? Is it just a stupid mistake that has lasted 90 years?
Photo ->
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GNEiE7OHc86rlhE6gt1DP4VEL0XkkxTS/view?usp=sharing
Maybe it wasn't hers.
Probably an in-joke? He told her he'd marry her on 30th February 1930?
Is there a connection with Russia?
February 30 existed from 1930–1931 after the Soviet Union introduced a revolutionary calendar in 1929. This calendar featured five-day weeks, 30-day months for every working month, and the remaining five or six days were “monthless” holidays. The abolition of the seven-day week in favor of a five-day week was intended to improve industrial efficiency by avoiding the regular interruption of a non-working day.
Is there a connection with Russia?
Wow. I had no idea about that. Thanks.
Seems an expensive in-joke - remembering they were married just a few months later - but that is a possibility.
No connection with Russia. My grandfather - a former Welsh miner - was serving with RAMC at that point and had returned from India/****stan before being posted to Malta.
[s]Engagement present rather than a wedding gift?[/s]
Never mind. It's Russian and she bought it second hand?
Do the hall marks not tell you when and where it was made?
Do the hall marks not tell you when and where it was made?
Not that I can see ?
Photo:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cukirvJiT9FJ34qVM_M81H-xwDgHQLXE/view?usp=sharing
according to this, it wasn't made in 1930 https://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Dates/Birmingham.html
either 1913 or 1938 https://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Dates/Birmingham/Date%20Letters%20O.html
so, could be the latter, as a memory of something
petec -thanks.
That makes even less sense to me now (or my sister!).
February 30 existed from 1930–1931 after the Soviet Union introduced a revolutionary calendar in 1929.
That's fascinating, but Wikipedia suggests it may not be correct, and has an image of a 1930 Russian calendar with 28 days in February:
Edit: that should have displayed the image, didn't work, link below
If it was Russian, surely the month would be in Cyrillic script.
Could it have been ordered by the elephant Man?
From Wikipedia:
February 30 is usually used as a sarcastic date for referring to something that will never happen or will never be done.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_non-standard_dates#February_30