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Author	Topic: Hall mark & makers mark identification
laurac Posts: 1 Registered: Jan 2005	posted 01-09-2005 07:25 PM Hi I have purchased a what I thing is a nice silver pickle fork. I think its made in Netherlands. I can send pictures of hall mark if required. the hall mark from left to right is. Key - Lion facing left with no. 2 under it. - percon in a peaked cap looking left. letter N which has two thin verticle bars and a thick bar joining them in the center. I thiink the makers mark is HH, you can view hall mark at [ http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=17289121 ] thanks Alan ------------------ Alan [This message has been edited by laurac (edited 01-10-2005).] IP: Logged
tmockait Posts: 963 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 01-09-2005 09:32 PM Your fork is definitely Dutch, based on the lion passant walking right as opposed to left for British lions. The head is a duty mark, and the "N" a date letter for either 1847 or 1923. Unless you have reason to believe otherwise, the later date seems more likely. I think the no. 2 under the lion was not added until mid 19th c. I can't make out the maker's mark. Hope this helps, TM IP: Logged
blakstone Posts: 493 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 01-09-2005 10:04 PM Dutch is correct, but the letter "N" here is the date letter for 1948. In fact, this "N" appeared crowned after July 1 of that year in honor of the coronation of Queen Juliana, so your piece can be dated to the first half of 1948. The helmeted head is the "head of Perseus" mark: the Dutch official assay office mark. The letter on it indicated the specific office; here, M for the Shoonhoven office. The lion is the standard mark, and "2" indicated the second standard of .833 silver. It appeared in this mark from its inception in 1814 until 1953, when the 2nd standard was changed to .835 and the standard thenceforth indicated by the Roman numeral "II". Finally, the "key" overstriking the standard mark was essentially an export mark. A restitution of 2/3 of the hallmarking duty was granted for new items exported out of the Netherlands, and the �key� mark (introduced in 1853) was overstruck the national marks to indicate this reduction. Should the item be re-imported into the Netherlands, this mark functioned as a return mark, being overstruck the first mark to cancel it and show that the 2/3 balance of duty had been paid. There is no maker's mark in your photograph, but it probably appears somewhere on your piece. If you find it, please post it and I'll see if I can identify it for you. Until then, I can say your piece was made in or near Schoonhoven, the Netherlands, in the first half of 1948 and was immediately exported out of the country. Hope this helps! IP: Logged
tmockait Posts: 963 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 01-09-2005 10:32 PM I transfered the photo to photoshop, and I can't see any crown over the "N". I cannot make out the symbol underneath, but it may be a crown. The source I have, however, shows a crown only over the N outside the circle. I am not saying your wrong, just asking for more info, since I have a number of Dutch pieces. Thanks TM IP: Logged
tmockait Posts: 963 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 01-09-2005 10:33 PM Ooops, misread Blackstone's e-mail that the crown was added only in July. My source did not make the mistake, hence my error. thanks, Tm IP: Logged
tmockait Posts: 963 Registered: Jul 2004	posted 01-09-2005 10:34 PM My source did not mak the "distinction." Double oops IP: Logged

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