David McKinley presents:
The Double Mark Punch Used At The London Assay Office
On 29th May 1786 John Pingo, the engraver to the
Goldsmiths' Company of London, petitioned the Company
for an increase in salary because of his greatly
increased workload. Within this petition he mentions
that: ".....I have also made double marks on single
punches for Tea Spoons...." and these 'Double Marks'
are mentioned in the mark registers from 1785, the first
year in which mark registers (or mark books) were kept.....
click here
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Welcome to new ASCAS members:
Francis Barclay - New Zealand
Patrick Costello - England UK
Charles Kalus - USA
François Milliat - France
Debora Rindge - USA
Edward Schmitt - USA
Jean-Paul Zucchetto - Dominican Republic
Members' Window # 97
Craig Dorman presents:
Collecting Silver Cow Creamers
It's not often that silver items start a "craze" that
leads to massive production of similarly shaped pottery
items... but that's what happened in the late 1700s when
John Schuppe, a Dutch silversmith transplanted to
London, popularized silver cow creamers (later
immortalized by P.G.Wodehouse in the Code of the
Woosters, the first of the Totleigh Towers saga, where
Jeeves saves the cow creamer). I had been fascinated by
cow creamers ever since I had a simple china one as a
small boy (my mother disdained from putting anything as
gauche as a milk bottle on the table) and had started a
modest and inexpensive collection, but I didn't know
anything about their origin and 18-19c popularity until
I lived in London in the mid 90's and visited the
Victoria and Albert Museum.......
click here
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Benedict Gagelmann writes:
...can I ask you for your help? I have a silver tea pot with
burner, but I cannot find out in what country it has been made.
Maybe Italy? Swiss? I send you a photo of the tea pot and its
marks. It has the two letters "CB".
Maybe you have any idea who made it?
Thanks very much for your help
Benedict Gagelmann
Derek Jones writes:
... I have tried every site I can find to try to get the full
hallmarked information on this presentation knife given to my
father in 1928 by the Finnish community in the town where he
lived.
I have identified the Finnish crown, the silver mark & the date,
but I can't find the maker JVK, or the town/city where it was
made.
Can you please help?
Kind regards,
Derek Jones
I found this information about the marks of your knife:
J.V.K; maker Juho Wilhelm Kantola
813H: silver fineness 813/1000
symbol: town of Kokkola
Y5: date 1928.
Giorgio Busetto
Maurice R. Meslans writes:
... I have this unusual set of marks on a wine taster, and was
wondering if you know anyone who can explain them.
It is obviously made from 1809-1819 and re-marked in 1819-1838
(I don't show the 1819-38 second standard mark also on the piece).
Unfortunately the department number on the 1809 isn’t legible.
The number on the later department mark certainly seems to be 85
which is not in Tardy's list.
I suppose it could be 35 (Tours) or 65 (Strasbourg).
Personally I would love it to be the latter as I collect
Strasbourg silver and a wine taster from there even this late
would be a real rarity.
However the mark does not look like a Strasbourg mark.
In any case it certainly appears to be 85, and I can find no
reference to such a number on the internet for this period.
I trust in your help.
Maurice R. Meslans
Silvio Negro writes:
... I send the photos of an object of which I ignore the use. I
presume it is French as the mark is "Boulanger".
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Silvio Negro
Francis Barclay writes:
... I have been searching the net for someone who could help me
identify a silver chalice that has been in our family in Greece
for many years.
I hope that you and your Association could help me and I have
attached several detailed photographs of the item and the
hallmarks.
Thank you in anticipation for any assistance you can give me
Yours Sincerely
Francis Barclay
In my opinion your item isn't a chalice but a large sugar
bowl with cover.
These items were made in large quantity in Italy during the 19th
century, but I'm unable to identify the mark as Italian.
In my opinion it is only a maker's mark.
Another hypothesis is Hanau silver.
Giorgio Busetto
Debbie Rindge writes:
... I have a pair of silver Egyptian Revival salt cellars we
think are from 19th century Naples, but the Partenope mark is
different than others I've found online, as the head is facing
left instead of right, with a numeral 8 at right.
Also, I would be grateful if anyone can help identify the
maker's mark AF or AT.
Debbie Rindge
The mark isn't Naples but Sicily. The female head facing
left isn't Partenope but Ceres Goddess. This mark was used as
warranty mark in Sicily until c. 1860. The mark (833 and 1/3
silver fineness) was used in Catania (from 1832), Messina (from
1829), Palermo (from 1829), Trapani (from 1834), Noto (from 1843
until 1865), Siracusa (from 1834 until 1843 -possibly-).
The mark AT, partly rubbed, (maker or assayer) isn't present in
the literature.
Giorgio Busetto
In this column we present a page obtained from makers'
brochures, books, auction catalogs, advertising or whatever
other printed paper, related to silver, that may be of interest
for ASCAS members.
The images will be published at a "low resolution" level and for
private and personal use only
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This month ASCAS presents a 1920 advertisement of:
CRICHTON BROS.
of London
Goldsmiths and Silversmiths
Rare Old English Silver. Original pieces typifying
the purest spirit of the great epochs. Also masterly
REPRODUCTIONS by Crichton Bros.' own Silverworkers
The business of dealers in antique silver and retail silversmiths was
established c. 1890 by Lionel Alfred Crichton.
In 1920 the firm was active with premises in London (22
Old Bond street), New York (636 Fifth Avenue) and
Chicago (622 South Michigan Avenue).
The firm went out of business in the 1950s.
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"A WORD per MONTH"
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BOSUN WHISTLE
BOATSWAIN'S CALL
Bosun (or Bo'sun or Boson) whistle derives its name
from 'boatswain', a warrant officer on a warship, or a
petty officer on a merchant vessel, in charge of rigging,
anchors, cables, etc.
Historically it was used to pass commands to the crew as
its high pitch could be heard over the activities of the
crew and bad weather
In present days it is used in traditional bugle calls
announcing certain events and ceremonies in modern
navies....
more
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"A BOOK ON MY SHELF"
In this column we present books, new
or ancient, dealing with silver in all its aspects (history,
marks, oddities...). This isn't a "book review" but only a fair
presentation of some useful "tools" that anyone may have in the
shelf of his bookcase.
ASCAS members are invited to contribute to this column
(click to enlarge images)
In the "book on my shelf" of this month Karin Sixl-Daniell
presents:
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INDIAN COLONIAL
SILVER
European Silversmiths in India
(1790-1860)
And Their Marks
by WYNYARD R.T. WILKINSON
Argent Press, Durrant House, London
1973
The book is in a limited edition of 1000 copies
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Closing our June 2012 edition of ASCAS Newsletter I hope
you have appreciated its content.
Your comments, suggestions and advice will be of great help.
My thanks to Francis Barclay, Craig Dorman, Benedict Gagelmann,
Derek Jones, David McKinley, Maurice R. Meslans, Silvio Negro,
Debbie Rindge for their invaluable contributions.
Giorgio Busetto
Secretary
DISCLAIMER AND PRIVACY POLICY
ASCAS is a community of people having a common
interest in antique silver.
It is a non-profit association without commercial links.
Membership is open to whomever has a true interest in
this subject matter.
ASCAS has no real property and no fees are requested nor
accepted from members.
ASCAS keeps in touch with its members only through
periodical newsletters, e-mails and web-site updating
and ignores and is not responsible for any other
activity pursued by its members.
Likewise, ASCAS is not responsible for opinions,
evaluation and images displayed, and in any form
published or supplied for publication, by its members
who, in any case, maintain the property of their works
and assure the respect of national and international
legislation about Intellectual Property.
ASCAS does not have the full addresses of its members (only
town, country and e-mail address are requested for
membership).
ASCAS handles and protects with care its members' e-mail
addresses, will not disclose the addresses to third
parties, will use this information only to reply to
requests received from members and for communications
strictly related to its activity.
These rules are expressly accepted by submitting the
membership request.
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newsletter # 97 June 2012
