Need help identifying a silversmith

[Smokanabeach]

Hi everybody!

Back with a new hallmark of a german (guess beginning of the 19th) tea pot. I recognize the 12 loth mark but what about the other mark: silversmith? import hallmark (I remember a teapot I had in my personal collection marked with a "A" and a little "1" into the mark)?



Thank you for your precious answers!

Best regards,

Smoka

[Smokanabeach]

As those marks seem hard to be identify, i'm going to let you know about my own considerations:

- first, i would imagine my tea pot is silver plated and not sterling silver(even if i think i'm able to see differences between sterling and plated silver but..): usually hallmark of silver plated tea and coffee pots are under the items not on the "collar" ; for instance all french or foreign sterling silver tea pots that i got are hallmarked at the top not under, especially for french silver with the Minerva

- second, my first idea is to think that "12" is usually for "12 loths"; on that basis, we can find this hallmark on german items trop the beginning/middle or the 19th: the problem is i should also find a city hallmark near the 12 what is not the case here; other hypothesis is 12 could be a polish hallmark, but my problem is i'm not confortable with polish hallmarks...

To conclude, i'm sure of nothing! Some more pictures could may be help? In that case, i would change the category of my post....

I look forward to reading your own considerations even if they are hypothetical!

Smoka

[dognose]

Hi Smoka,

Indeed, an image of the whole piece may be of great help. The style can often reveal much.

Trev.

[Smokanabeach]

Thanks for your answer Trev! I've posted only the mark as i was thinking this category was only for a one picture mark compared to the "german topic" for instance. But I will take pics as soon as my baby girl awakes in the room the item is ;-)

[dognose]

It's no problem, we can move it to where ever fits best.

Trev.

[Smokanabeach]

OK perfect! Before sending you new pictures asap, i find similar hallmark for Austria- hungarian hallmark, XIXe , Seyedin (Hardy, p71). In case that can be helpul...

[dognose]

I think the research needs to go into the 'GA/AG' mark. There's probably thousands of similar '12' marks to be found.

Trev.

[Smokanabeach]

OK i let you do that for me ;-)

Thank you Trev.

[Smokanabeach]

Dears Friends,

going to take some other pics of my tea pot, i made a discovery which I consider as a real shame: my tea pot is silver plated! How? Just by testing the metal I was sure to be sterling silver.... I quote myself: "even if i think i'm able to see differences between sterling and plated silver but.."=> Obviously not!

Please accept my apologizes for such a mistake which may have made you loose your time. I hope nobody goes forward into this stupid quest that I introduced to all of you.

With a lot of regrets,

Smoka

P.S.: Trev I let you delete this useless post and promise to test next items I will submit before disturbing everybody!

[dognose]

Hi Smoka,

No apologies necessary, you've done absolutely nothing wrong and in no way is this a "useless post". Be assured, this was no waste of time. By experiences such as yours, we all learn a lot.

Are you 100% sure this teapot is plated? 12 loth is a very low standard of silver (750/1000), and depending on your testing method, you may possibly get a misleading result.

Trev.

[Smokanabeach]

Thanks again Trev for your answer.

Yes I'm sure as I filed down a leg of the tea pot hard what made me discover a yellow metal: brass!!!

Regards

[WarrenKundis]

Friend please do post those images, would be very interested in seeing what you have been discussing.

Two years ago I was trying to identify a makers mark on a tea service for a dealer. The body of this possible Chinese export silver teapot for example was marked but the feet in particular were showing wear marks as plate. Led me to surmise that this set was sterling with plate attachments. Had no idea if that was common, would not mind opening it up for further discussion.

Warren

[Hose_dk]

I am very confused. I would expect the marks to be silver. I would like to see Pictures of the object + of the place where you saw brass.

[Smokanabeach]

Sorry Hose, for my late answer: the hallmark was a the top of the tea pot and I found brass by scratching a feet of the pot... No interest at all, this tea pot has been throw away...