These are another pair of tongs with the rare embossed "addition" to the sides of the arms which is very rarely seen. In fact the only other tongs I have seen with this curious feature were also Exeter made, by Richard Jenkins. These tongs are of a fairly crude appearance in construction as are many early Exeter tongs. Notice the makers mark had been mis-struck and then struck again. I have dated these tongs between 22nd December 1797 and 7th August 1798. This is because the Lion is of the earlier style, which I sometimes think of as looking more like a mouse than a lion. This lion is often referred to as the "Letterbox Lion" - with good reason I think!

click here to see some Richard Jenkins tongs with embossed motif