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Your knife has done some travelling. As you know it was made in Paris by the cutler Joseph-Baptiste Fuchs. This is the mark he used from 1833-1843. In 1838 the knife was subject to the recount in the Department of the Gard, office in Nîmes as seen by the giraffe head poinçon de recense with the Gr...

Barely visible are marks used in Paris between 1819-1838: the standard mark for 950 silver (the head of Michelangelo facing right in an octagonal reserve) and the guarantee mark for medium-sized objects (a Gorgon head facing forward in a circular reserve). May I respectfully suggest that you clean u...

You're welcome Louis. It has been a pleasure.

We’re making progress. Thanks for posting the printed images of the date letter, charge and discharge marks for 1786 — they are a help to online viewers. I’m normally very cautious about maker’s mark attributions, but in this case exceptionally I’m going w-a-a-y out on a limb and will attribute the ...

You have an attractive ladle in the thread ( filet ) pattern. I can make out four late 18th C marks found on 950 standard silver made in Paris: -Date letter mark of a crowned P for 1786, with the date just beneath the crown. -Discharge mark of a leaf with a circular border for 1786, which you have i...

You're welcome Gary.

Your fork shows a monogram topped by a coronet. This tells you the owner had a noble rank, but without a coat of arms it would be very difficult to determine the exact family name unless you had good provenance for this item. The design of a coronet shows the rank of its owner, with each country hav...

Your candle holders were made by Truman Bailey. See the following topic for more information about the maker:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=25112#p64798

My pleasure.

The quality of your pictures certainly doesn't make this easy. The Mercury head mark in left-facing profile in an octagonal reserve is a French export mark for 950 standard silver, in use from 1840-1879. The insect mark opposite the Mercury head is the bigorne countermark. If you use the search func...

Try England for your replacement glass liner - you might find one for a more reasonable price.

Just a suggestion for restoring your object: There are companies that produce replacement glass liners for silver - either items they have in stock or custom order. This seems a more reasonable way to restore your item than buying another silver mounted crystal box to cannibalize for the glass.

Then all is well.

Umm…no. Minerva is never found in a rectangle. She is punched in an octagonal reserve for 950 standard silver and in a barrel-shaped reserve for 800 standard silver. In addition, placement of the Minerva head mark is regulated. After 1838 she must be stamped on the outside of the rim of beakers. See...

Yes, this is the mark for Guétin; successor was his son-in-law Édouard Ernie. The style and decoration look right for late 19thC. Reasons there is no silver standard mark (Minerva head): o You haven’t found it yet; o The mark on the rim of the beaker where you’d expect to find it has been covered ...

Yes, French. You show the maker's mark in a lozenge-shaped reserve upside down. First letter appears to be A? If you could show a sharper picture it would help identify the maker.

My pleasure.

This appears to be the Alphonse Debain mark that was in use from 19 March 1883 until 8 March 1911. Debain was a prolific maker who worked in Paris at 79 rue du Temple. The bird is une bécasse or woodcock, presumably friendly. Your set was made for export, as indicated by the baraque or house shaped...

My pleasure.

Well we’re getting closer. Believe that you’re showing the mark upside down. If so, the maker’s symbol between the two initials appears to be an anchor. Still can’t make out the initials. Perhaps with magnification you could read them? The saying on the handle reads: Love and wine, presents divine. ...