PS: There was a good discussion one this board back in February of this year regarding VR locks, covers, etc. .. It's worth the read, so here is the link:
Those crown marks, G crown R, W crown R, and V crown R were the style of the time, and are extremely common on table cutlery as well. Has nothing to do with royal warrants, govt. property or whatever. More like seeing a bald eagle on American stuff.
The Georgian crown is different from the Victorian crown. Also some companies did replace their own initials, like H crown C for Hiram Cutler of Sheffield. Pretty arrogant, really.