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A new article for
ASCAS website
Maurice Meslans presents:
An English 'Fake' Mark On Decanter Labels
Sometimes marks just don't make any sense. Anyone studying marks has a collection of unknowns; often they aren't on expensive items. Some people, "experts", like to say that any marks they don't know or understand are just fakes. Dealers often just ignore the question as not worth answering or bothering with.
Personally, while I like discovering information on an expensive piece of silver, sometimes it is as much fun researching an unusual mark on something less expensive such as a spoon. In fact there is an argument that says small items are less likely faked than large pieces. Why would someone bother faking a cheap item?
This two decanter labels are an example of interesting study pieces. They weigh a total of 1.1 troy oz. and are 6.6 cm wide.
They have a mark which can only be a copy of that of the partnership of Thomas Wallis II & Jonathan Hayne from 1810...
click here
New members
Welcome to new ASCAS members:
Céline Cadillac - France
Sander Erkens - The Netherlands
Dana Linck - USA
Beatrice Maisonneuve - France
Raoul Mallalieu - USA
Mail to ASCAS:
e-mail
silverassociation@yahoo.it
The shape doesn't correspond to the mark of David Willaume II. The mark of Dennis Wilks (Grimwade 519) bears some resemblance but, in my opinion, the gorget was made by an unidentified Colonial silversmith.
It doesn't seem cost-effective to import from England an object of simple manufacture which can easily be done by a local silversmith
Giorgio Busetto
I believe the metal isn't silver. Could be alpacca, pewter or another silvered metal.
Giorgio Busetto
Luigi Masciullo writes:
... I'd wish to identify the mark of this sugar bowl, presumably Italian, 19th century
Any suggestion will be welcome
Luigi Masciullo
Shelly Cox writes:
... I was wondering if you would be able to help me with the origins of this teapot.
I am hitting some blanks as I haven't seen any with the letter B at the end.
Are you able to assist?
I would be really grateful if you could point me in the right direction.
Shelly Cox
Ole Lachmann
I asked the most knowledgeable Danish Georg Jensen expert about the strange mix of old and modern Georg Jensen marks shown by Allen Carlson on a brooch in your last newsletter.
In cooperation with the GJ company, he has just arranged a huge Georg Jensen exhibition at Sophienholm Museum, celebrating GJ's 150 years birthday. .
He said that such mix of marks in not unusual on small pieces. Having all the company's marks at hand they would apparently sometimes just grab the nearest GJ mark. .
The piece has all the information needed if designed by GJ himself. According to the specialist is probably made in the 1920s.
Ole Lachmann
"A PAGE per MONTH"
In this column we presents a page obtained from makers'
brochures, books, auction catalogs, advertising or whatever
other printed paper, related to silver, that may be of interest
for ASCAS members.
The images will be published at a "low resolution" level and for
private and personal use only.
This column is published under the kind permission of Giorgio
Busetto's website
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This month ASCAS presents an ancient advertisement of
BROADHEAD & ATKIN
PATENT ELECTRO SILVER-PLATERS & GILDERS
The firm was active in North St. Works. A partnership of Roger Broadhead and Henry Atkin at Love St, Sheffield (1834-1853). In 1853 the partnership was dissolved and they formed respectively R. Broadhead & Co and Atkin Brothers.
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"A WORD per MONTH"
In this column we
present an abstract from a page of the "What is? Silver Dictionary"
courtesy of
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INDIAN PEACE MEDALS AND PRESENTATION SILVER
A common practice, since early times of British settlement, was to gift Indians of America with silver object as token of peace.
In the 1730s is documented the manufacture of silver breast plates by Albany silversmith Koenraet Ten Eyck while a silver gorget made in 1755 by his son Barent Ten Eyck was found in an Indian grave at Franklin, North Carolina.
Various gorgets were made by Joseph Richardson of Philadelphia. Richardson made a variety of silver objects as earrings, crosses, hair plates, medals for a Quaker organization named "The Friendly Association of Regaining and Preserving Peace with the Indians by Pacific Measures"...... MORE...
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"A SILVERSMITH per MONTH"
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JAMES DIXON
AN ATTEMPT TO DATE BRITANNIA METAL (PEWTER) TRADE MARKS
From centuries British silver is protected by the stamping of symbols and letters identifying the maker, the Assay Office and the date in which the quality of the silver piece was verified.
Thanks to the "date letter" any piece of British sterling silver can be exactly dated.
Old Sheffield Plate and Electroplated silver are not subject to this practice and the regulation issued by the authorities had the main objective of preventing possible frauds by unscrupulous sellers of plated ware.
The best-known initiative is the prohibition (effective from c. 1896: Elkington was forced to change its mark in 1898) of stamping plated wares with the "crown", to avoid misunderstanding with the symbol identifying the Sheffield Assay Office.
The absence of an official dating system makes it difficult to date silver plated wares. An approximate date can be determined by examining:
- the style of the object
- the presence or absence of the crown (before or after c. 1896)
- the date of registration of the pattern at the Patent Office
- the presence of a dated dedication
- the date of the event (example: King/Queen Coronation or Jubilee commemorative spoons)
- "Ltd" or "Ld" on the mark denotes a date after 1861 (but in most cases not before 1890)
- a registered number (Rd followed by a number) denotes a date after 1883
- "England" denotes a date after 1891 (mandatory for export in the USA - McKinley Tariff Act of 1890-)
- "Made in England" denotes a 20th century date (mandatory after 1921 for export in the USA)....
more
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"A CREST per MONTH"
STEWART
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The crest of a Scottish family
A pelican feeding her young, in a nest
The Latin motto is 'Virescit Vulnere Virtus' (from wound flourishes virtue)
The crest was found in a sterling silver menu holder, hallmarked London 1905, maker James Aitchinson
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Closing our September 2016 edition of ASCAS Newsletter I hope
you have appreciated its content.
Your comments, suggestions and advice will be of great help.
My thanks to Trevor Cofer, Shelly Cox, Geldolph Everts, Robin Gibson, Ole Lachmann, Luigi Masciullo and Maurice Meslans for their precious contributions.
Giorgio Busetto
Secretary
DISCLAIMER AND PRIVACY POLICY
ASCAS is a community of people having a common
interest in antique silver.
It is a non-profit association without commercial links.
Membership is open to whomever has a true interest in
this subject matter.
ASCAS has no real property and no fees are requested nor
accepted from members.
ASCAS keeps in touch with its members only through
periodical newsletters, e-mails and web-site updating
and ignores and is not responsible for any other
activity pursued by its members.
Likewise, ASCAS is not responsible for opinions,
evaluation and images displayed, and in any form
published or supplied for publication, by its members
who, in any case, maintain the property of their works
and assure the respect of national and international
legislation about Intellectual Property.
ASCAS does not have the full addresses of its members (only
town, country and e-mail address are requested for
membership).
ASCAS handles and protects with care its members' e-mail
addresses, will not disclose the addresses to third
parties, will use this information only to reply to
requests received from members and for communications
strictly related to its activity.
These rules are expressly accepted by submitting the
membership request.
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newsletter
# 148 September 2016
