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Well, thanks for all your help, guys. It just makes me wonder how many of those beaten-up old tastevins you see with marks 'resembling' 18th century ones and with a price ticket for hundreds of pounds (not that this one was in that category) really are the bee's knees. And I've seen lots like that. ...

Thanks, Oel, for all your help. I wish I could afford better books! As my earlier photos show, the assumed bigorne counter-mark is very rubbed, and as per that post, I have matched it to a particular insect (one of those seen in plan view, not profile). Mind you, I only have the marks shown in Tardy...

Thanks Oel, but that still doesn't really answer the question: why the bigorne anvil marks behind what most of you (probably quite rightly) regard as a pseudo mark? Why would the assay office allow that - unless it was a 'favour' to a 'client' (oh, why did I ever read 'The Three Musketeers')? I real...

I concur with what you and the others say about the possibility of a fake or 'tourist' item, JayT, but it's completely bizarre that there should be a bigorne mark at all. And yes, I agree with your comment that bigorne marks are usually counterstruck behind the silver standard mark, but it's still a...

https://www.925-1000.com/pics/Ximg.jpg Since posting this topic I have noticed a VERY FAINT (polished out) beak-iron or bigorne mark on the underside of the handle. It's the only evidence of a bigorne anvil mark on the tastevin and strangely this one is underneath the crowned fleurs de lys mark. I ...

http://www.925-1000.com/td/f/Trash/Crewena-1.jpg http://www.925-1000.com/td/f/Trash/Crewena-2.jpg Can anyone help me decode this very odd mix of hallmarks on my tastevin? The first two on the lower photo occur on the outside of the bowl as in the upper photo. Is "BB" the maker? I'm not su...

Oh my goodness - it's now over a year since I posted this and hadn't realised I had replies! (Should I not get notifications about replies? Perhaps I hadn't ticked the box!) So sorry about that, Jay T and Maurice (Francais)! Thanks for your attempts at helping with this. Yes, Maurice, I would agree ...

I have a French silver tastevin with the 'Minerva 1' silver standard mark and a maker's mark I cannot identify. The maker's mark is in a 'landscape' format lozenge cartouche with the letters 'S' and 'R', both letters being pierced by what looks like a crude battle axe, with the head of the axe towar...

I have a French silver tastevin with the 'Minerva 1' silver standard mark and a maker's mark I cannot identify. The maker's mark is in a 'landscape' format lozenge cartouche with the letters 'S' and 'R', both letters being pierced by what looks like a battle axe, with the head of the axe towards the...