Standing bear again.....

[Goldstein]

Hi all -
found a lot of German silver exported to Russia - here I think the Baltic states under Russian rule.
Russian importmark Riga and standing bear for 875 silver content.





Regards
Goldstein

[Goldstein]

Hi -
according to member silverfan was the maker the wellknown German firm Koch & Bergfeld. Many thanks!

Regards
Goldstein

[Dad]

Hi, Goldstein.

You want to tell that the bear in a lozenge is the mark of "Koch & Bergfeld" ?

[silverfan]

Hi Dad,
because I gave the information to Goldstein, I answer your question.
The bear is not the maker's mark of Koch & Bergfeld, Bremen, but it is originally a Swiss mark on watches for the fineness 875/1000. But here in the forum it was supposed that e.g. German exporters marked the bear on their flatware to show the fineness of 875. I think that has a high probability.
Goldstein showed the swiss marks in his post "Gratschev as importer .... " from Sun Febr.12 2017 6:45 am and in his post from Sun Febr.26 2017 9:55 am that these swiss marks were used on flatware too (capercaillye for 800/1000).
The mark of Koch & Bergfeld is a "footed dish" (Fußschale). The here showed sought-after pattern has the number 25500 in the Koch & Bergfeld catalogue and was designed by Hugo Leven in 1900 as the first of six in some kind similar Jugendstil patterns descibed by Dr. Sänger in his book "Bestecke des Jugendstils".
I have some pieces from Koch & Bergfeld with Russian marks without their "footed dish". Before WWI they exported a lot of flatware to Russia.
Regards silverfan

[AG2012]

Hi,
Is there an example of Swiss bear mark in lozenge (except for those in this post - on watch cases for example) ?
What`s the logical explanation for the export route: Germany - Switzerland - Russia ?
Just asking.
Regards

[Goldstein]

Hi AG2012 -
please read my article "Gratschev as importer...."

[quote="Goldstein"]Hi -
Unfortunately, I know little about the actual export of German silver to Riga and from there on to Russia. Also, which German manufacturers have been significantly involved in it is not known to me - surely only that there is a large trading volume with Riga. From there, the trade with Russia was made. Maybe our German cutlery collectors know more about these trade relations. In any case, the delivered items were not marketed with the German companies logos but with the "coded" cock capercaillie or the standing bear. So there was enough neutral space for own stamps.
The question arises why excreted cock capercaillie and standing bear were used. An explanation attempt: Switzerland supplied almost the whole world with excellent pocket watches in steel, silver and gold. Silver depending on the delivery country in 875 and 800 silver content. For this there were uniform brands: standing bear 800, cock capercaillie (Auerhahn) 875 silver content. The market, traders and buyers were familiar with these brands - so they were taken over. Since the marks are very small and usually discreetly applied, they completely escaped most people.
Now it would be interesting to know which German manufacturers have worked for this important market. Maybe there is some feedback from the German section....
The "original" Swiss marks used:




The export route was not Germany -Switzerland - Russia but Germany - Riga (at that time Russia) and maybe to St. Petersburg. My assumption is that the in this part of the world wellknown "Swiss silvercontent marks for 875/1000 and 800/1000" were used to distinguish the silver before hallmarking in the respective import country.
All the silver with the bear I have or have seen is from Riga or Roumania - the makers are German firms like Koch & Bergfeld, Wilkens etc.

Regards
Goldstein

[silverfan]

Hi AG2012,
on watch cases, I think, you will not find a bear in lozenge because that will be Swiss production.
The assumption is that e.g. German exporters applied that mark to show fineness 875/1000. The examples shown in this forum, even with Roumanian marks (see post in the same threat), had patterns from German producers.
There is no export route Germany-Switzerland-Russia. Goldstein thinks that the mark was applied by Koch & Bergfeld before exportation to Russia. Up to now it is only an operational hypothesis.
Regards silverfan

[Goldstein]

Hi all -
here again 2 saltspoons exported to Riga - maybe silverfan can identify the maker:





and some Swiss pocket watches for the Russian market, also with the standing bear:





Regards
Goldstein

[Dad]

Goldstein, silverfan,

Thanks. I got it. Like hypothesis.

Goldstein. The Swiss bear is different

[Goldstein]

Hi Dad -

as several times mentioned: it is an assumption (предположение)!
Both Germany and Switzerland used for silver fineness 875/1000 for the export the "standing bear".
The shown spoons etc. are 100% made by German wellknown firms in Germany and were exported to or via Riga (at that time Russia).
The shown pocket watches are 100% made by Swiss wellknown firms in Switzerland and were exported to or via Riga (at that time Russia).
All the objects have a fineness of 875/1000 - a fineness compulsory in Russia at that time - so you can suppose that they were exclusively made for the export. The rest of Europe used different finenesses. For silver 875/1000 was no market.
All the silver with the bear mark I own or have seen has the importmarks of Riga. All the imported silver from Germany to Odessa, Moscow or St. Petersburg I have with import marks, display the import marks of this towns and no bear mark.
Germany adopted the Swiss bear mark - in the slightly different German version - otherwise it would have been a "Swiss copy"or "fake" with criminal consequences.
That is what I found out by collecting silver - I have all this silver in my hands - and when I see marks I do not know, I start to invesigate. I collect Russian and Baltic silver - others collect German cutlery and made similar observations. Everyone would like to know: what is this standing bear mark!
In the relevant literature I found nothing.
Now I wait for answers of our allknowing bookworms!





Regards
Goldstein

[Goldstein]

Hi -

here a better photo of the marks - Riga and standing bear - fork made and marked by German (Koch & Bergfeld) firm for export to Russia.





Regards
Goldstein

[Goldstein]

Hi -

another set with the "rampant bear"or standing bear as I call it:





Regards
Goldstein