900 Silver Letter Opener

[NancyCaroline]

Hi,
I recently purchased this Chinese motif letter opener. Mark is quite worn. No success with research. Can anyone comment? Thanks.
Nancy

[davidross]

Could the uppermost mark be "plata"? If so, this would mark would be from a Spanish-speaking country.

While the subject matter is undeniably Oriental, the letter opener may not be of Asian origin. The marks are not written in an Asian language, and do not look like Asian marks to me.

If an adminstrator would move this post to "Other Countries," it might generate a more satisfactory response. Sorry that I cannot be of more help.

Regards,

DR

[NancyCaroline]

Thank you David. I think you are correct. Using Plata 900 I was able to find a few other pieces of silver marked PLATA FEBI 900. South American, possibly Chilean. Very helpful & much appreciated.
Best,
Nancy

[davidross]

Hi Nancy

I think you have solved the mystery. Thanks for sharing your results.

Do you have a sense of the age of the letter opener? The oriental figure is rendered in a late Victorian style (Mikado, Madama Butterfly, etc), but the finishing looks more mid-20th century mass-produced.

It seems that few South American marks have been identified as yet, but the indefatigable Trev (Dognose) has recently started a new thread on the topic in the Contributor's Notes.

Glad I could point you toward the right direction after all.

Cheers,

David