A Set of Tea Tongs by Thomas Hannam & Richard Mills, circa 1763/64

A Set of Tea Tongs by Thomas Hannam & Richard Mills, HM London circa 1763/64 (George III). A nice pair of tea tongs by the London silversmiths Thomas Hannam & Richard Mills. The makers mark for this partnership has been dated to 1760s. There is also an unrecorded variant of these marks which may have been recorded in the lost 1758-1773 Largeworkers’ Register and I’ve not been able to discover how long this partnership lasted. The tongs are in the simplified Rococco style popular in the second half of the 18th cntury, the arms with limited decoration ending in shell bowls. These appear to be in good original condition with no obvious repairs. The tongs measure 13cm and weigh 28.4g.