Help With Maker & Country Of Origin?

[ellen324]

Hi

I found this spoon at an estate sale. It 'feels' like silver and the '800' mark makes me think it is, but I'm not sure.

I'm lisitng it under 'German Silver' because it's the only country you have listed that used '800' in their mark, but it doesn't have the national mark, so I'm confused.

It's a beautifully crafted spoon - can anyone help with the maker, country of origin and whether or not it is actually silver?

Thanks In Advance,
Ellen

[Bahner]

Hello, maker is Christoph Widmann from Pforzheim, Germany. Founded in 1919, closed ca. 2003. Best wishes, Bahner

[ellen324]

Thanks for your help Bahner!

Ellen

[ellen324]

I forgot to ask - if this is actually silver, why wouldn't it have the national mark on it?

Ellen

[Doos]

Hi,

It's 800/000 silver. In Germany there is no mandatory hallmarking system.

[ellen324]

I thought it said here that the national mark was compulsar after 1886, but ok and thanks. Is there any way to date this?

Ellen

[ellen324]

compulsory, sorry

[Bahner]

Hello, strictly - yes, there should also be halfmoon and crown on this piece. But there never was a central assay office in Germany, as there was/is in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, France e tutti quanti. So nobody really controlled in Germany what the makers were doing. It was accepted though, that on smaller pieces the "800" was sufficient. There is no way to date this. Widmann made pieces like that from 1919 onwards. Best wishes, Bahner

[ellen324]

Ok thank you, and thanks for the clarification, Bahner...

Best Regards,
Ellen