posted 10-22-2012 02:55 PM            

925 followed by a g in a diamond

posted 10-22-2012 03:24 PM            

also from 2005: Help Identifying a Silver Mark

posted 10-23-2012 04:11 PM            

Just a shot in the dark but have you tried the Chicago Silver for the Jewelers circular of 1922.

There is a company called J.A. & S.W. Granbery 31 E. Kinney St. Newark N.J. The mark listed there looks very much like your G in a diamond.

Hope this helps.

Jersey

posted 10-24-2012 07:02 AM            

Thank you too Scott, as always for your assistance.

posted 10-24-2012 01:10 PM            

Sorry to disagree with the Granbery attribution, but I do not think that is the correct identity of the maker. If you google J.A. & S.W. Granbery (in quotes) you will find a few of their items, mostly gold and gemstone mediocrity from the 1920s. Perhaps whoever was making the match safe reproductions somehow obtained the old Granbery mark punch and used it in an attempt to lend credibility to the repros.

I have seen the G in a diamond mark with 925 STERLING and just 925. It was not common practice at the time for American manufacturers to use the 925 designation, and exceptions generally tend to say "925/1000" or some variation, often as part of a more elaborate system of marks.

Adding to the confusion is another mark which is "STERLING G". I have seen this as a raised mark on match safe lips and also stamped as "STERLING-G" on brooches, they are probably variations of the mark for a single maker. It is confusing because both marks incorporate a letter G, but the STERLING-G pieces are actually from the early 20th century; I can attest to this having examined several pieces that are right relative to construction, patina, and other details such as hand-engraved period monograms. Furthermore, the STERLING-G items are stylistically very similar to G in a diamond pieces in that they are of middling quality and frequently adorned with insipid late Victorian and Art Nouveau decoration. At the very least, though, the STERLING-G pieces I have seen are antique.

Finally, I found a reference to something called "Antique & Collectors Reproduction News," the May 2002 issue of which apparently addresses the G in a diamond series of knockoff match safes. However I was unable to locate text or images from the article online--perhaps one of our members has access to this article.

posted 10-26-2012 03:10 PM            

quote:

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Antique & Collectors Reproduction News
May 2002

More New Sterling Matchsafes

New sterling matchsafes continue to appear in English flairs and markets. The pattern has been for the sales to first appear in England. then gradually spread into the American market. Many new safes are: brought back to the US - either knowingly or through honest mistakes - as dealers’ stock. Other new sales are purchased by American collectors from English dealers offering new pieces through internet auctions.

This latest group has a hallmark of the letter G inside a diamond grouped with the word Sterling and the number 925. Generally. all pieces of sterling and marked with 925 are new because the 925 is an international standard mark established in the mid-1970s. This is especially true of pieces that have undocumented hallmark such as this G in a diamond. This new mark is similar to ll GJ in diamond hallmark that began appearing on new sterling matchsafes with sports themes in 2001 (see ACRN June 2001 issue).

All of the new sales shown here. as well as many other reproduction safes, have uniformly blackened interiors. Old vintage safes, of` course, have a dark patina inside. but rarely is the old patina so uniform. Authentic patina inside genuinely old safes usually has a random, irregular appearance and varies from safe to safe. If' a dealer has a case full of safes with exactly the same black patina inside every safe that is an obvious clue that you' re probably looking at reproductions.

The quality of work in the new safes is not so strikingly bad as to attract notice unless. you have handled many safes or are familiar with vintage silver. In this latest group, for example, the jump rings where of particular low quality and not up to the usual standard of` quality typical of vintage silver safes. Detail in some pieces was also a little shallow and blurred, but again this is probably more obvious to an advanced collector rather than a beginner or a dealer unfamiliar with original safes.

The simple presence of jump rings can by itself raise suspicion. The great majority of old American safes, for example, averaging 2.5 to 3 inches long, do not have jump rings. Duc to their size, most American safes were carried in a trousers or jacket pocket. English safes, however, designed for the smaller English vesta, or match, average only 1.75 to 2.25 inches. Most vestas were small enough to carry in vests and waistcoats on watch chains. Thus the: need for a jump ring to attach the vesta to the chain.

The rings arc particularly out of place on distinctly American designs and American size safes. The Elks, for example,. are an American fraternal organization, no English. Why the ring? The same question could be asked about the cowboy on the bronco safe. Although the American West and cowboys were subject overseas, would an English Gentleman be likely to need a jump ring to wear this example on his watch chain? A jump ring alone is certainly no guarantee of a reproduction. But if one appears on a larger safe with an obviously American subject or theme, you should at least become more alert.

How to detect fake English hallmarks

Over the last six months, there have been an increasing number of new safes coming into the market with faked English hallmarks with early date stamps. Many of these new pieces are sold in internet auctions and are being found in American antique malls and shows.

One easy way to catch the majority of these pieces with fake date marks is to become familiar with the English marking system. Up until English hallmarking laws were changed in the 1990's, all English silver made in two or more pieces must carry two sets of marks. One full set on the main or primary section and an abbreviated set of marks on the secondary section. Secondary sections or parts include removable lids on covered dishes, coffee and tea pots as well as hinged lids on matchsafes, tankards and similar shapes.

A typical set of marks on the primary section usually consists of the makers mark, standard mark, assay mark and year date. The secondary section must include at least two marks: the stand mark and the year date. Location of the secondary marks varies. Some times the secondary mark is close to the primary mark, in others it may be a considerable distance away.

None of the matchsafes with forged English Hall-

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