Postby JAKJO » Sun Jun 28, 2009 6:13 am
Hi,
I fully agree with you Theoderich, Wilkens is the manufacturer.
The fork has been imported to The Netherlands and has been assayed as foreign between 1906 --1953.
Perhaps the bear mark, the face and the bird mark are just pseudo marks. My hypothesis is that right after the first world war, the crescent and the crown (actually the German emperor´s crown) mark, was not a selling brand. But marks sell; the manufacturers of Hanau knew it and the electro-plate producers knew it as well. The Wilkens' trade mark and 835, wouldn't have looked that impressive in a country, where the buyers of silver were used to have many marks on their silver ware.
I have seen another fork from approximately the same time and exported to Holland, which was produced by the Bremer Silberwarenfabrik marked the Dutch "V", "BSF", the torch (trade mark of BSF) and a "Boar passant" -mark in a square.
Does this sound plausible as a possible explanation?
Best regards/JAKJO