posted 05-08-1999 05:53 PM            

Tiffany Persian

Special Features
Any Tiffany silver is highly collectible. Tiffany's standard of quality through the ages speaks for itself. Their patterns have been of such lasting classic appeal that a remarkable number are currently in production after a 100 year run. We wanted to acquire some Tiffany place settings but we seek a little exclusivity and avoid patterns that you can still buy at Geary's. Persian is a good example. It originated in 1872 when exotic lands were all in vogue (Japanese, Egyptian, Persian) and would seem quite out of place after the turn of the century with its ornate design. But it is a beautiful example of the silvermakers art. Turner lists it as not obsolete by 1929. Hagan lists it as not being in production today and an "S" pattern meaning that it is probably too scarce to be actively sought for a complete service.

Dating
A big advantage of collecting Tiffany compared to other silver makers is the possibility of dating in many instances. Rainwater shows that prior to 1875 a small script "m" for Moore, was used along with the "Tiffany & Co.", a capital "M" from 1875 to 1891, a "T" from 1891-1902, a "C" from 1902 to 1907 and then back to the small script "m" up through 1965. I would be grateful if someone could tell me how to distinguish the pre 1875 "m" from the post 1907 "m".

Shown below are a luncheon fork with the "m" before the Tiffany & Co., which could be prior to 1875 :

The second is a salad fork with a slightly different looking "m" after the Tiffany & Co., which is less likely to be prior to 1875.

Would love to have some expert opinion on the dates of these.

Pieces Available
Persian seems to have been made long enough for just about any piece that you might want to be available. Shown below are our standard place setting pieces:

Item Length Our Cost
Flat Butter 6" $65
Demi Tasse 4 7/8" $30
Teaspoon 6" $38
Dessert Spoon 7" $85
Dinner Knife 10 3/8" $95
Dinner Fork 8" $85
Luncheon Fork 7 1/8" $65
Salad Fork 6" $68

We did very well on the prices above. Normally if we can average $100 per piece on a place setting of old Tiffany we are pleased.

Photo:

large size image

Key Pieces
Knife, salad fork, butter spreader. We were able to obtain most of the pieces including the knife from one set. The salad fork & flat butter took some hunting.

Comments
Being able to accurately date the luncheon fork above would be great because the knife came out of the same set. Would love to know if Tiffany did make knives for this pattern back in 1872, or if the knives came later. The knife shown is a silver plated blunt blade with "Tiffany & Co. New York"

posted 10-03-1999 03:24 PM            

Also she reports that Tiffany has research information available through the Archives at:

Tiffany & Co.
15 Sylvan Way
Parsippany NJ 07054-3893
fax: 973.254.7205
Has anyone used this service

posted 10-13-1999 01:26 AM            

Dear Bob:

I bought a group of Persian about a year ago that has the "L" mark, which was used from 1956-1965. The L stands for William T. Lusk, who was the great grandson of the company's founder and, I believe, President at the time. The "L" mark was the last mark to use the initial of the president. The group consisted of 6: reg. forks, salad forks, hh knives, dessert spoons, 3 tablespoons, and 12 teaspoons.

The knife does have a stainless blade which I believe to be original. You can also see that the shape of the salad fork is quite modern compared the the ones from the 19th Century.

posted 04-01-2003 11:10 AM            

I believe that the pre 1875 "m" comes before the other marks, and the post 1907 "m" comes after. We have several pieces of Persian flatware which have the "m" after the other Tiffany and sterling marks.

Thanks!