Page 488 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

LEO
Canton
circa 1840-1890

LEO has always been somewhat
of an enigma.

Items bearing the mark are
extremely rare; all known
examples, however, are of
obvious high quality
workmanship.
How the name came into
existence, whether it is an
assumed name or transliterated
initials of a Cantonese name has
not yet been discovered. It is
certainly a name that goes back
to the earliest study into Chinese
Export Silver by Crosby Forbes in
the 1960s, which would denote
that silver bearing the LEO mark
was sent to America. The fact at
least one known version of the
mark exists in the form of a so-
called pseudo-hallmark would
indicate LEO silver also was
probably destined for the British
market.

However, the mystery thickens
even more given the only
examples of LEO silver that has
been recorded are all tankards.