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 American Silver before sterling
 A Tiny Turtle marked AR
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| Author | Topic: A Tiny Turtle marked AR |
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Brent Posts: 1507 |
posted 02-10-2009 09:45 AM
  
[19-1042] Here is an interesting thing. It appears to be a very tiny Indian trade turtle pendant, but is quite sophisticated. The piece is articulated, such that the head and front legs pivot together, and the back legs and tail do the same. It bears a mark of AR, as shown. Hamilton's book on Trade Silver mentions a Peter Arno from England and an Asa Ransom from Buffalo, but the marks she shows do not seem to fit. Ransom may be the culprit, if he had another mark. He was known to make trade silver. There is a possibility that it is a fake, but it has a really nice patina that appears to be genuine. Any ideas? Brent IP: Logged |
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Tad Hale Posts: 120 |
posted 02-10-2009 12:55 PM
There was also a maker from Nova Scotia named Adam Ross but his mark is not shown in "North American Indian Trade Silver" by W.H. Carter. I have had some Turtles and Beavers in the past and the ones I have seen were made to wear on clothing with no movable parts. If this piece was made as a pendant with movable parts, I would think it would have been made for a Chief or some other high ranking tribal leader. Most trade silver was fairly thin and there are a lot of reproductions on the market today. There is no mention of a silversmith with the initials "AR" in the book entitled "Indian Silver Ornaments" by Harold E. Gillingham. Perhaps you could check with the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. IP: Logged |
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FWG Posts: 845 |
posted 02-10-2009 05:49 PM
I'd love to be proven wrong but it doesn't look old to me, or like any trade silver pieces I've seen or handled. The mark also doesn't look like any I've seen on trade silver. BTW, there is no more Heye Foundation; that Museum of the American Indian was folded into the Smithsonian and is now part of the National Museum of the American Indian in DC. There's also a gallery across from Battery Park, Manhattan, that's part of the NMAI. IP: Logged |
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mdhavey Posts: 164 |
posted 02-10-2009 06:03 PM
Brent, are you quite sure it's silver? Hard to tell from the photographs and the patina. IP: Logged |
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Tad Hale Posts: 120 |
posted 02-12-2009 12:07 AM
I did not realize that the museum had moved in the past few years from New York but it is now in 3 locations, New York, Suitland Maryland and Washington D.C., and also part of the Smithsonian. Below are phone numbers and addresses of possible contact information. The George Gustav Heye Center Cultural Resources Center Research: NMAI on the National Mall Someone at one of these locations, might be able to help you. Like I said in my above posting,that there are a lot of reproductions on the market today and I have never seen any items with movable parts. IP: Logged |
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