posted 10-17-2001 11:15 PM            

If you are serious about collecting coin silver, eventually you will run across some pieces with marks that look like coin silver ...but are they? Here are two sets of marks found on non-descript "fiddle-with-fins" style teaspoons, both sold to me as coin silver. What do you think they are? HINT: If you have the right reference books, you can identify both marks, and even the makers' names. If you don't, though, the task is a bit tougher. Who can tell me what these mean? (Not you, WEV)

Brent

[This message has been edited by Brent (edited 10-17-2001).]

posted 10-31-2001 09:43 PM            

For those readers who may not be so familiar with these marks, please note that the Chinese export marks try very hard to emulate English hallmarks, but fail miserably. We have a "sovereign's head", or duty mark, a "crowned Leopard's Head", a "date letter" and a "lion passant". The styles are completely wrong, though. The sovereign and the Leopard both have "oriental" features, and the lion looks more like a dog. The shape of the W "date letter" surround is also wrong for English marks. In fact, it is a maker's mark for Wong Zheng of Canton, active 1830-1855.

As for the second mark, it behooves us all to learn to recognize Scottish provincial marks. They can be easily confused with American pseudo-hallmarks if you do not know what to look for. Learning the stylistic quirks of Scottish silver is also useful, as quite a lot of Scottish silver bears only a maker's mark.

As an aside, did anyone notice that the TS mark is an overstrike?

Anyway, here are three more pieces with mystery marks. The first is easy, the second a bit more difficult, and the third the hardest of all. Good luck!

posted 11-01-2001 01:42 PM            

The initials for number two are BB, not RB.

posted 11-22-2001 02:56 PM            

Mark number 2 is still a bit of a mystery. The lion passant and crowned leopard's head appear on known pieces of Canadian silver, and there is a maker who used the BB stamp, but the three marks are not recorded together. Still, I feel comfortable that this is also a Canadian spoon. It is quite heavy as well, which tends to suggest an English influence. Those of you who own Bohan & Hammerslough's book of Early Connecticut Silver will note a spoon of identical form marked B. Benjamin, for Barzillai Benjamin of New Haven. Benjamin also had a BB stamp, but was not known to have used pseudohallmarks like these.

Fianlly, number three is actually a piece of Channel Islands silver. The maker is unfortunately unidentified, but worked on Guernsey in the mid 1700's. The fleur-de-lis marks were used by some Scottish provincial silversmiths as well, so do not assume that all marks of this type are Channel Islands. Unusual initials are one clue to Channel Islands origins, and these, "EUS", are no exception.

Well done!