posted 01-20-2009 06:50 PM            

Does anyone recognize the mark on this coin silver ewer? It is: eagle stamp, F.M.C., star. The front of the ewer is monogrammed and dated 1863.

Also, I'm new to collecting coin silver and was wondering if anyone knew why the piece is monogrammed and dated? Could it be some sort of commemorative trophy?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

posted 01-20-2009 07:02 PM            

Please tell us a bit more about yourself and your interest in collecting silver. Is this your first piece. What kinds of silver do you collect or are you thinking about collecting? Have you checked any references books for the mark. Which reference works?

posted 01-21-2009 05:54 AM            

It's to find under the headline:

"The cabildo life in Louisiana from the colonial period to reconstruction".

But in this article there was other silver mentioned with the same marks.

posted 01-21-2009 11:16 AM            

The letters F.M.C. most likely are the initials of the retailer. Most of the retailers identified by McGrew were in the Hartford area, but none have these initials. I do not have any book that identified these initials.

McGrew’s book is entitled “Manufacturers’ Marks on American Coin Silver”.

posted 01-21-2009 07:05 PM            

The first stamp does look like a W but I had thought it was the head and shoulders/wings of an eagle. The piece came from an estate in Greenwich, CT so that seems to be consistent with a Hartford, CT mark.

posted 01-23-2009 12:18 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by ellabee:
When did the use of Gothic/Old English/Fraktur lettering for silver engraving begin in the U.S.?

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I always associate that style of lettering rather loosely with the second half of the Century, however lettering can be added at any time after an object was made, so it may not be original with the piece. Objects provided by wholesale suppliers for resale, unless specifically commissioned, would not be engraved, and the reseller or buyer might not have it engraved at point of sale. for any of several reasons. Also original engraving can be removed and replaced, but there can be telltale signs of that having been been done.

Three initials traditionally are those of a husband and wife, although there have been exceptions.

posted 01-23-2009 11:35 PM            

Mr. Soeffing notes that the prevailing style of engraved initials at this time was italic script and at least one etiquette book stated that anything but script would not be in the best of style and was therefore not recommended. The Gratz letter clearly shows that styles other than italic script were used by the 1830s in the United States. Also, for etiquette books to recommend the exclusive use of italic script most likely meant that other styles were already in use.

As others have stated, dating by the style of engraving is problematic as one normally cannot determine when the engraving was placed on the object.

posted 01-27-2009 03:02 PM            

Being in and from an area heavily settled by Germans since at least the early 1700s, I'd wondered whether 'Old English' (Fraktur) style engraving hadn't been in use all along, at least in some parts of the country.

It's certainly plausible that it became more common in the second half of the nineteenth century -- through sheer fashion and/or changes in the dictates of etiquette authorities.