SMP Logo
SM Publications
Silver Salon Forums - The premier site for discussing Silver.
SMP | Silver Salon Forums | SSF - Guidelines | SSF - FAQ | Silver Sales

The Silver Salon Forums
Since 1993
Over 11,793 threads & 64,769 posts !!
American Silver before sterling Forum

A GLOSSARY of MILLED BANDS
Past American Coin Silver Forum topics/threads worth a look
WEV's American Silversmith's Family Tree Project Smith's Index

How to Post Photos REGISTER (click here)

customtitle open  SMP Silver Salon Forums
tlineopen  American Silver before sterling
tline3open  Myer Myers mark

Post New Topic  Post A Reply
profile | register | preferences | faq | search

ForumFriend SSFFriend: Email This Page to Someone! next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   Myer Myers mark
ahwt

Posts: 2334
Registered: Mar 2003

iconnumber posted 07-22-2017 02:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ahwt     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The July 2017 issue of Maine Antique Digest has a paragraph and picture of a spoon that Winterthur tested in 1980 for alloy content. It had the right content to be of the period for the Myer Myers mark impressed on it.

Subsequently, the same mark was found on silver known to be modern; hence the authentic spoon was not really made by Myer Myers. As a result they now believe that this early spoon was simply unmarked and the same forger marked it.

They did not include pictures of the mark.

IP: Logged

wev
Moderator

Posts: 4121
Registered: Apr 99

iconnumber posted 07-22-2017 03:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for wev     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Meyers forgeries are nothing new and marking old spoons is/was a common practice. Without a picture of the mark in question, such a notice is of little help to anyone.

IP: Logged

ahwt

Posts: 2334
Registered: Mar 2003

iconnumber posted 07-22-2017 06:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ahwt     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Winterthur currently has an exhibition on fakes and maybe this spoon is included. I am surprised that their web site does not include more information about which fakes are included in the exhibit.

When we lived in St. Louis there was one Flea market that often had a dealer with Indian trade silver claimed to be authentic. He had a whole tablefull of "authentic" trade silver in a time period when finding one piece would be highly unusual. The number of fakes killed this market so I hope the same thing does not occur in early American silver.

It does seem that it would be a pretty simply project to publish what it was about the mark that made Winterthur sure it was a fake.

A good movie on forgeries is "How to Steal a Million " with Audrey Hepburn.

[This message has been edited by ahwt (edited 07-22-2017).]

IP: Logged

wev
Moderator

Posts: 4121
Registered: Apr 99

iconnumber posted 07-22-2017 09:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for wev     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Winterthur's online database does list (with pictures) a number of the known fakes in the collection -- Revere, Winslow, Viliant, etc, but not the Meyers. There was a small consortium of dealers and fakers based, if I remember correctly, out of Philadelphia in the day who made up all sorts of goods to fill the wish lists of collectors like Dupont.

IP: Logged

ahwt

Posts: 2334
Registered: Mar 2003

iconnumber posted 08-23-2017 10:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ahwt     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The October 2017 issue of Early American Life has an interesting article entitled Treasures on Trial that discusses the current exhibit at Winterthur Museum on this subject. This exhibit is about fakes, forgeries and frauds. One of the items in the exhibit is a spice tower the has a genuine mark of Myer Myers on its base, but has a top portion that they believe was added in such a way as to deceive who the actual maker was. Other items include paintings, ceramics, chests and musical instruments. I have always been fascinated with objects of this kind and the ingenuity and talent that was needed to create these objects.

This exhibit continues until January 7, 2018. Below is a picture of the supposed Myer Myers piece.


IP: Logged

All times are ET

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic
Post New Topic  Post A Reply
Hop to:


Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46a


1. Public Silver Forums (open Free membership) - anyone with a valid e-mail address may register. Once you have received your Silver Salon Forum password, and then if you abide by the Silver Salon Forum Guidelines, you may start a thread or post a reply in the New Members' Forum. New Members who show a continued willingness to participate, to completely read and abide by the Guidelines will be allowed to post to the Member Public Forums.
Click here to Register for a Free password

2. Private Silver Salon Forums (invitational or $ donation membership) - The Private Silver Salon Forums require registration and special authorization to view, search, start a thread or to post a reply. Special authorization can be obtained in one of several ways: by Invitation; Annual $ Donation; or via Special Limited Membership. For more details click here (under development).

3. Administrative/Special Private Forums (special membership required) - These forums are reserved for special subjects or administrative discussion. These forums are not open to the public and require special authorization to view or post.


| Home | Order | The Guide to Evaluating Gold & Silver Objects | The Book of Silver
| Update BOS Registration | Silver Library | For Sale | Our Wants List | Silver Dealers | Speakers Bureau |
| Silversmiths | How to set a table | Shows | SMP | Silver News |
copyright © 1993 - 2022 SM Publications
All Rights Reserved.
Legal & Privacy Notices