Postby antiquer » Sat Jul 02, 2005 8:11 pm
Greetings,
Scratch marks of this type are most often incised by restorers and polishers, they don't get lost or torn off like paper tags. Sometimes they do contain dates to indicate, not of when the piece was made, but of when it was worked on or due by.
As to your friend's assertion, can you think of a plausible reason that a fine silversmith, in a factory or workshop, set up and tooled for silver work, would choose a pin point to sloppily scratch in his trademark?
Cheers,
AinA