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tline3open  Silver Pheasant Whatzit

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Author Topic:   Silver Pheasant Whatzit
chase33

Posts: 362
Registered: Feb 2008

iconnumber posted 08-30-2009 07:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for chase33     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
[01-2757]

Hello all

I have had this piece for several years and am hoping that someone can tell me what it is and if possible who made it.

It is a silver pheasant that is 5 3/4 inches tall and 11 inches long. It is hallmarked on the bottom of one toe with a three-leaf clover (or leaf), .925 and a script capital M. The other toe has what looks like HF. I have tried to capture them in a picture but these are very tiny.

The head pulls off and the body is hollow. The wings are hinged for no apparent reason. If anyone has any information I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

Robert

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PhilO

Posts: 166
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 08-31-2009 02:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for PhilO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have no idea what it is for but the hallmarks are Chester (England) import marks for 1912. The sponsor, HF, is unfortunately unidentifiable. The mark is in the Chester Assay Office register for about 1910 but, for some reason, no name was associated with it.

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vathek

Posts: 966
Registered: Jun 99

iconnumber posted 08-31-2009 12:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for vathek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I thought these were spice holders. The movable wings are just a nice feature with no function.

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chase33

Posts: 362
Registered: Feb 2008

iconnumber posted 08-31-2009 04:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for chase33     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the information. Just to summarize, it was imported in Chester, England in 1912 by an un-identified maker whose mark was HF. Is there any clue as to the country of origin of this piece?

I guess it could have held spices but you would have to have alot to fill it up! Those wings just stump me everytime I look at them. LOL

Thanks again

Robert

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salmoned

Posts: 336
Registered: Jan 2005

iconnumber posted 08-31-2009 05:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for salmoned     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
They obviously carried the instructions, describing exactly how useful this item can be! wink

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PhilO

Posts: 166
Registered: Jul 2004

iconnumber posted 09-01-2009 02:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for PhilO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
HF may not have been (and almost certainly wasn't) the maker, which is why I used the word "sponsor" in my reply. The sponsor of imported items was normally just the importer; such companies and people are often described in the Chester Register as "foreign agents" - nothing to do with spying!

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chase33

Posts: 362
Registered: Feb 2008

iconnumber posted 09-01-2009 04:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for chase33     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hmmmm... foreign agents? spying? Maybe it was used to smuggle secret messages during the war? And the wings were used to distract anyone when they examined it!

Thanks for the clarification.

Robert

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DB

Posts: 252
Registered: May 2006

iconnumber posted 09-01-2009 05:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for DB     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
These birds were made in German lands and brought by importers to England who had to submit them for hallmarking. Mostly used in pairs as table decorations.

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FWG

Posts: 845
Registered: Aug 2005

iconnumber posted 09-01-2009 06:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for FWG     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
They're also not uncommon in Spanish contexts, and in my experience not always marked. I've also long suspected some production in Italy, although cannot prove it....

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Kimo

Posts: 1652
Registered: Mar 2003

iconnumber posted 09-11-2009 10:19 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kimo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Like DB I have always seen these as table decorations. My guess for the hinged wings is to be able to make it a bit more interesting by offering the choice of displaying it with the wings either up or down.

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Polly

Posts: 1971
Registered: Nov 2004

iconnumber posted 09-13-2009 06:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Polly     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ha! I saw a very similar bird this afternoon at the weekend flea market I like to go to.

The one I saw had a hinged head instead of a removable one. The top of the head flipped up to reveal a spout at the beak. It has the same hinged wings.

"What are those wings for?" I asked the seller.

"That's the handle," he said. He flipped them up, pinched them together, lifted the top of the head, and tilted the bird. "See? That's how you pour the liquor."

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chase33

Posts: 362
Registered: Feb 2008

iconnumber posted 09-13-2009 09:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for chase33     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hi

That is an interesting thought. I haven't tried them as handles but I suppose it might work.
I wish they would stay up own their own but I don't think they were made to do that.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Robert

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