posted 11-10-2005 10:17 AM            

Hello all,

Just purchased this striking piece of hammered silver with German marks. However, I can not identify the maker's mark, and I am even wondering if it might be an imported piece, rather than a native product, as the 835 standard is more commonly used in Scandinavia.

Any ideas?

posted 11-10-2005 11:54 AM            

For example, for Great Britain it would have had to have been a minimum of 925. The British would then put their import marks on the piece indicating the piece to be sterling. Not every country followed the British practice for import markings, at least not as rigorously.

posted 11-10-2005 06:14 PM            

I am also stumped by the maker's mark, but I agree with Richard about this piece being German. While 800 was the most common, higher purities were increasingly used in the twentieth century, especially after 1945 when the 800 silver became rarer. I have seen marks for German silver indicating 830, 835, and even 925 accompanying the crown and cresecent mark for post 1888 Germany.

Although this piece might have been exported to Scandanavia, wouldn't it have carried a duty mark from the importing nation? I am inclined to think the number may have been a stock or order number.

posted 11-11-2005 08:05 PM            

It certainly is an interesting piece, very Avant Garde. It is odd that the mark doesn't show up in a common reference work; whoever made this certainly deserves some recognition.

Thanks for the help,

posted 11-12-2005 12:42 AM            

Good concept. Make to the fineness of the importing country. I never thought of it that way, but it is certainly less confusing.

The '557' mark is probably a pattern #. As to the various quality marks used in silver exported from Germany, I can say that I have seen quite a lot made for the USA market and marked in addition to the "crescent moon" and "crown", "925" and sometimes even "STERLING".