posted 11-02-2004 05:43 PM            

As with many neglected salts, there was susptantial corrosion and pitting on the piece when I bought it. I soaked it in ammonia and when I cleaned it, I thought I could see places where the salt had corroded through the silver to the base metal. I have continued to polish the piece, especially the inside, and the more I polish the more silver-like it beomes.

As for technique, the whole bowl seems to be one piece - with the legs added, I guess.

More than once I've bought silver which has turned out to be silverplate - but this is the first time I may just have bought silverplate which turns out to be silver!

If you think there is any possibility that this could be American coin silver, perhaps you could transfer this topic.

Thanks

posted 11-11-2004 05:41 AM            

My piece is factory-produced, a circular pill box, oval in cross-section, like a small tobacco box - the lid has die-stamped decoration and the whole LOOKS to me Germanic and c.1920 (what a dealer might call c.1900.

posted 11-11-2004 04:19 PM            

Dale - To be honest, I don't know if it's spun or cast - what should I be looking for?

Kayvee and Silver Lyon, thanks for your suggestion of a German or Austrian origin. When I first got this piece, I wondered about the shield being for Switzerland. But then I told myself it was too obvious!!!!!
But....

posted 11-13-2004 01:26 PM            

Swiss marks are much less well-known. They followed the typical German-style city guild system in the 18th century, were under French control during the Napoleonic era, and were nationalized in 1883 under a system which – with some changes – is still in force today. Unfortunately the huge dearth of information on Swiss marks occurs precisely during the mid-19th century: from the end of the Napoleonic era to the nationalization of marks in 1883.

However, it is known that precious metal control was under the jurisdiction of individual cantons during this period. The problem here is that the well-known Swiss cross was (and is) the national heraldic device, not that of an individual canton, so I doubt it would be used as a hallmark during the period and it is not recorded in the (admittedly meager) literature. (The canton of Schwyz did have a mark – shown in Tardy p. 391 – that was a single cross in a shield, based on the Canton Arms, but the cross is not centered: it should be in the upper right corner. Moreover, this was the mark used before the Napoleonic era; I have no reference for its use after that.)

I will offer one peculiar idea, just to stir the pot. There was a European city in the 19th century which used a single cross in a shield identical to yours as its silver guaranty mark, and which would be accompanied by that of the maker’s initials, and that was Tallinn (also called Revel), Estonia. This mark – and variations of it – were used until 1842, when Estonia became under Russian control and Russian-style marks were used at the new Assay Office in Tallinn. Here’s an example, being two marks of Gustav Weiss, fl. 1791-1814:

This is from “Väärismetalltööd Eestes 15.-19. Sajandini” [roughly “Estonian Precious Metal Work 15th –19th Century”] by E. Vende (Tallinn: Kirjastus Kunst, 1967) which has a list of makers in Talinn, but not one, unfortunately, with the initials “OW”.