posted 02-15-2001 05:39 AM            

I think that one of the great opportunities that a forum such as this provides, is to educate, and be educated. I should therefore tell all that may view what I deduce from these marks, and be prepared to be corrected where I am wrong.

C.J. Hallberg is a well known Stockholm company. The "S" and "crowns" would indicate imported silver, according to Tardy. The date mark "L7" is for 1913. The remaining mark is the one that originally prompted my question. Is it a town mark for Stockholm, or is it a designer/makers mark? When I realized later that the crowns seem to indicate an import, that altered the mix somewhat.

[gone from the internet - mostlysilver.com/swedishstrainermark.JPG]

posted 02-15-2001 09:15 AM            

I would tend to think that this mystery mark is not a Swedish mark, but a mark from the actual country of origin. It looks like the marks pictured are on a rim of the piece; check all along the rim for other marks that may look like part of the decoration. You can often more readily see the indentations of marks on the interior than the marks themselves. If we can find additional marks, we might be able to determine the actual origin of the piece.

I look forward to hearing from you again.

posted 02-15-2001 11:02 AM              

Also I can tell by the hallmarks that this object is imported to Sweden, it is made abroad. This you can tell by the smooth oval contour around the three crown mark.
If the contour follows the shape of the crowns more it is made in Sweden.

The marks in the picture only tells us that CG Hallberg sold the object in one of their stores.

posted 02-16-2001 05:00 AM            

[gone from the internet - mostlysilver.com/swedishstrainermark2.JPG]

Hope this helps to see the mark better. As you can see it is difficult to ascertain exactly what it represents - it is no more evident under a loupe. The date letter appears to be the L for 1913. The only other mark is an H under the thumb piece of the strainer, which I felt was not significant. I did check again around the rim - it wouldn't be the first time that I missed a mark.

Torbjörn - I looked at your web site and enjoyed it enormously, even though I am strictly an English speaker. Great photography; I struggle to photograph silver. I am including two more photos of the strainer because you have a piece with somewhat similar decoration. Perhaps that can be of help. (I hope that doesn't clog up the string with too many images Brent. When is it advisable to use links?)

Best Regards to both,

Willie

[gone from the internet - .mostlysilver.com/swedishstrainer.JPG]

[gone from the internet - .mostlysilver.com/swedishstrainerdetail.JPG]

posted 02-22-2001 03:41 AM            

Can anyone suggest informative books (in English) on Swedish/Scandinavian silver, including 20th century information? I have Drucker's excellent "Jensen", and Swedish Silver by Erik Andren.