Unknown mark

[rzaku]

Hi!
Could anyone help me with id of this mark:


Thank You in advance, Czarek

[blakstone]

The city mark is a crowned spear point or "strahl": the canting (punning) arms of Stralsund in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on the Baltic in far northwest Germany. The maker's mark is difficult to read, but I think is "JFD" for Johann Friedrich Dumrath (b. ca. 1790), the son of silversmith Martin Bermhard Dumrath and working ca. 1820-1840. The piece is an etrog box, used to protect the ritual citron during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles (which I believe is coming up in a few weeks).

Hope this helps!

Ref: Wolfgang Scheffler, Goldschmiede Mittel- und Nordost Deutschlands (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1980), marks #940 & #981. See also this thread: Eagle Mark

[rzaku]

Wow! I never wouldn't think that I got the answer so fast! and I must say so helpful and precise answer it is! Thank You very much! I really appreciate it! Warm greetings from Poland, Czarek

[Theoderich]

Very nice -
there is an other mark of JF Dumrath (on a spoon from 1831)

[Stantheman]

One little notice. It's not an ethrog box. It's just a regular sugar box. The handle on the top in shape of fruits and leaves might be in this case misleading. Sometimes sellers describe this kind of a sugarbox as an ethrog box but is ussually to wrip more profits from the sale (as antique jewish items are rare and expensive).

As an example I placed below two similar sugar boxes from Elbing (pl. Elblag) (by Proell) and Kalisz (by Suck) respectively. It's worth noticing that this form of sugar boxes was espacially popular in area of today northeast Germany and northwest part of Poland. The interesting think about your sugarbox is that the handle (made of fruits and leaves) is original. They often get damaged and were replaced like in two sugar boxes I took pictures of.




Best regards,
Stanislaw

[Theoderich]

As an example I placed below two similar sugar boxes from Elbing (pl. Elblag) (by Proell) and Kalisz (by Suck) respectively. It's worth noticing

Can you post the Hallmark an Makersmark from the Kalisz box?

[Stantheman]

The sugar box from Kalisz bears just two marks: 12 and SUCK. There is no city mark. The city mark of Kalisz is very hard to find and it was used in earlier period, probably before 1817 or so. It depicts a trumpeter in an oval-schaped mark, it's shown in Gradowski book of Polish silver marks.

On the items from Kalisz you more often see just a maker's mark (like Suck) along with word "Kalisz" or "w Kaliszu" (means "in Kalisz"). These items ussually date back to second quarter of XIX c.

[Theoderich]

Thank you for those remarks.
Many users show only images of Hallmarks, they do not know their origin. It would be nice if there were also those Hallmarks are shown, of which one knows where they come from (if the marks are rare).
Many Polish Hallmarks I do not know yet.

[Stantheman]

Here you have an example of Suck mark with Kalisz city mark. Also on a sugar box. What's characteristic for Suck (often seen on his pieces) it's made of low quality silver of just 11 loth.

[Theoderich]

I thank You for this images and informations.
11 Loth was normaly used in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany).