Hi Juke -
this plastic cup and pizza thing was no personal allusion (I am very sorry if it sounded like that!) - I refered to the American market.
What wonders me most is that our Russian friends are not much interested/able to enlighten the different controversies. They must know - it is their silver and their past!
Hi Qrt.S -
There is always the possibility that we do not know what realy happened. We unfortunately have no access to Russian archives and museums or the knowledge of serious collectors. It seems that the Russian collecters I know have the same problems as we.
What I think about is: I have seen and touched thousands of pieces and this made me in no way immune against fakes - but certain things I never have seen! Several of the many Court jewellers got next to Sazikov the highest prices (gold medals). Khlebnikov, Ovtschinnikov and Gustav Klingert as example (frenetic concurrents at that time) - but those three never used medals in their marks! Normal or is something wrong? If you are a famous and wealthy silversmith and want to proudly expand your trade mark for a medal - do you just punch a medal somwhere (left, right, middle) next to your mark? Or would you proudly alter your old punch by a new one?
There are several silversmiths who used medals in their firmlogo - but the stamp was a onepiece stamp - and the medals were from
All Russian Exhibitions - not from
World Exhibitions
in London or Chicago. To get a gold medal from a World Exhibition was realy something very, very prestigious!!
I think after seeing a certain mark again and again - one believe it must be correct - even if it is not - because there is no sense in it - exept to make an object more trustworthy and more expensive. Just my 5 cents!
Here some wellknown "medal marks" from silver smiths




Some paper mache´marks from Visnjakov



And some "later" Sazikov marks


Please note the eagle mark (form)
Regards
Postnikov