18th Century Marks - True of False ?

[argentregime]

Hi there. For the first time in a long time I have a piece of silver where I am not 100% comfortable with the marks and would be grateful for others people's opinion.

Pair of silver salts. Blue liners are genuinely old though not a great fit and may be replacements. Clickable thumbnails below.

Both salts carry French c1730 marks and in many respects look OK, but, a few doubts.......

a) the marks on one look very fresh yet not hugely deep
b) the wear and rubbing marks on the other look rather 'linear' to my eye.
c) I can't find a perfect match in my refs for the dog's head mark which I assume is a decharge mark.
d)the silverwork is not of the very highest quality one would expect normally (though not always for sure) on pieces of that period.

I know it's hard via jpgs, but I'd be grateful for second opinions one way or the other. Thanks.

[blakstone]

Your instincts are good; these are definitely reproductions. The charge mark appears to be that of 1722-1726, but there was no date letter “U” in that time, nor again until 1783 (“V” was used instead in 1736 and 1760). The décharge mark, as you note, has no exact parallel, and I can find no match for the maker’s mark. And, as you mention, they are too linear and were clearly struck at the same time, which was not the case with genuine Ancien Régime marks.

Also, the style is nothing at all like the authentic exuberent and unrestrained rococo of the 1730’s. Note, too, the post-Industrial Age construction; i.e., the die-stamped sides visible through the liner.

Although I have not seen these particular pseudo-marks before, they are probably once again those of one of the many late-19th/early 20th century Hanau, Germany manufacturers of antique style silver.

[argentregime]

Thanks Blakstone. It is always good to have confirmation and your analysis was excellent including spotting a few things I hadn't thought of.

Yes, for me the first warning was the quality of the silverwork, the second the marks themselves. I handle a fair bit of latter 18C French silver and these just screamed 'wrong' for a number of reasons - though the marks are quite good at a first glance to the unwary.

Interestingly, and a timely warning to us all maybe, but these came from an 'expert' and catalogued source as "18th Century". Always pays to check the marks carefully pre-sale or immediately upon receipt !

Thanks again