Help to ID - What do "84" and "90" mean

[draketail]

I have a two pieces of German flatware of the same pattern. The spoon has the number "GEISLINGEN 84" and the fork has "GEISLINGEN 90". What does this mean? Is it silver content. I have looked at this website and many other trying to find definitions. If anyone can let me know and give research references this would be extremely helpful. Thanks.

Photos of spoon:

http://www.draketail.com/images/spoon84-1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.draketail.com/images/spoon84-2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Photos of fork:

http://www.draketail.com/images/fork90-1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.draketail.com/images/fork90-1.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bahner]

Hello, maker is WMF of Geislingen, Germany. They used these marks around 1900. 90 and 84 is the weight of silver in gramm used for electroplating. 90 was and is very common in Germany, 84 is rare - first time I saw it on a German piece. Best wishes, Bahner

[draketail]

Thanks for your information and helpful assistance. It is much appreciated!!

Chris

[admin]

Hi Chris,
Just to clarify, that is not grams of silver used in the plating of each piece, but for the plating of a preset number of pieces. I believe the French system is per dozen pieces, not sure what amount the German system uses.

Regards, Tom

[draketail]

Sorry Tom, I am not understanding you. Do you mean that it is the gram weight of silver in the liquid solution bath used in the electroplating process? Or is it a solution bath to electroplate, in these cases, 84 or 90 pieces of flatware?

Chris

[admin]

84 grams of silver used to plate "x number" of pieces.

[draketail]

Thanks, Tom!

[Bahner]

Hello, actually both in Germany and France originally two dozen pieces were electroplated at the same time: one dozen tablespoons plus one dozen tableforks. As the surface of a tablespoon is a little larger than that of a fork, a little more silver is spread on the spoon. Why in France just 84 gramm were used instead of the German 90 gramm is not known. It was Christofle that first did this and the other French companies took it over as a French standard. Best wishes, Bahner

[draketail]

Thanks Bahner...:)

[summerlaw]

By analogy to the marks discussed here, would "silber 100" on german flatware mean 100 grams of silver were used in the plating bath? Or does this mean something else entirely?

[Bahner]

Hello, yes, that is exactly it: 100 gramm were used. On modern plated German flatware one can find numbers up to 180 - 180 gramm were used for plating. Best wishes, Bahner

[summerlaw]

Bahner: Thank you so much for responding to my queries. Summer