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posted 02-13-2007 12:41 PM            

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Hello and thank you for the help on my Gorham silver bowl. I have another item here that I can find no information about and I have been looking for quite a while now. It looks like an antelope and the only marks I can find on it are 958 on the bottom. Very detailed including the split on the bottom of its hooves as a real antelope would have. Not used to posting photos yet but hopefully this one is ok

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posted 02-13-2007 01:40 PM            

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This photo could be slightly larger, but is OK (the last one, the view of the Gorham dish, is oversized and will get snipped or edited by a moderator soon).

Our host asked on your previous item's thread for you to give us an introduction to yourself and your interest in silver. Members here form a community with considerable specialized knowledge and experience, and we like to know something about those who join us. In the bright green box on this and every page you'll find a link to information, "Please Read Before You Post," which explains this and other points about the forums. The Guidelines page is particularly important. You'll find people are much more forthcoming if you follow these guidelines.

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posted 02-13-2007 03:11 PM            

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Thank you for your advice and help I am an avid book collector who got an interest in silver when looking for books at Church sales car boot sales and fairs.I am fascinated by the marks both on silver plate and silver and hope I can learn a lot more through the forums.Also if possible I will gladly help if I see anyone with a question in the posts that I have knowledge of.Again than you very much with the help for my photos and hope to be able to improve my own efforts,William.

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posted 02-13-2007 04:16 PM            

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Thanks for the response, William! Those two pieces are not what I expect to pop up in Belfast. This one is hard to say anything about without handling it; it could be silver or plated, and without seeing it the 958 could be a .950 standard mark or some kind of design number. A series of detail photos might help, but there's a good chance we won't be able to say much about this one.

It might be a male impala -- at least that's my best guess from the photo.

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posted 02-13-2007 06:11 PM            

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Thank you for the reply, its not your normal piece of silver but it is a stunning little piece.I wanted to find out if possible who made such a detailed item and didnt leave their mark on it.The photo doesnt do the figure justice as there is reflexion showing colour which isnt on the figure.I thought that some members might be interested as it is unusual and a bit of a puzzle.

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posted 02-13-2007 06:36 PM            

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It's quite on the cards that it will not be possible to tie this to a maker. A detailed photo of the mark may help. An idea of scale would also possibly help.

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posted 02-13-2007 08:54 PM            

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Interesting piece. These have floated onto the market for as long as I remember. And never has any information come along with them. Just enough to puzzle.

Some of them seem to have been sold as little statues or paperweights. Some appear to have had a function, like carving knife and fork holder: put the blade between the antlers to keep the tablecloth clean. Sometimes they appear without their other parts: like saddle bags on a horse to hold matches or an ashtray that rests like a howdah on an elephant.

The older ones sometimes have the Meriden Brittania Co mark, usually they don't. Really I know very little about these. Just have seen and enjoyed them over a long period of time.

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posted 02-14-2007 10:00 AM            

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It looks like an impala to my eye.

I agree that it is unlikely to ever know where a particular one of these animal figurines may have come from unless there is an identifying mark on it. My first guess is that it may be a tourist souvenir item rather than something made for the higher end trade.

I've seen similar ones in my travels around the world in Asia, Latin America, Africa, mid-East, etc. at various tourist oriented markets and bazaars. Somtimes they are sterling, sometimes other grades of silver and sometimes they are silver colored alloys with no silver in them. Typically they represent local species of animals and are made by local artisans. In the markets you see tables covered with hundreds of them and they range in quality from crude ones typically made in brass or wood to nicer ones made in silver, silver colored alloys, or carved from semi-precious stone. They are rarely signed.

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posted 02-15-2007 01:27 PM            

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Thank you for all the replies I have one other photo and was able to get better detail the only marks to this figure are the 958 on the bottom.I should have put the size etc as it does help ,it stands to tip of horns 48mm and weighs approx 39 grams. Anyway all the info that I received has given me food for thought which is better than knowing nothing and would like to say thank you for the replies and the time spent,William.

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