Clueless in identifying marks

[lantov]

Dear all,
I recently aquired a silver cigarette case. Unfortunately I cannot identify the hallmarks - I suppose it should be Norwegian/Danish or possibly Belgian.





Any help is welcome and thanks in advance on any suggestions.

[silverport]

Case maker was »G. Lauer AG« from Pforzheim, Germany — Importer unknown

Hello »lantov«

May I help too, to correct you? Only some of all marks ever struck are being »hallmarks« = that are in principle today only the »Assay marks« which are struck by an official institution after the item was assayed.

The other marks are e.g. fineness indications, here the »925«; maker’s marks, here the modern script letters »GL« with a »star«, in an oval “frame”; export or import marks, here maybe that of »KNEB / +« in a horizontal stretched hexagon; and many others as well.

The case maker was »G. Lauer AG« from Pforzheim, Germany — the maybe Importer is unknown by me.

Kind regards silverport

[lantov]

Hello silverport,
Thank you for the info!
I did not think this could be German, as all German pieces I have seen have also the crown and the moon marks along with the fineness. How often have you seen to happen German silver products without crown and the moon marks?
Thanks in advance and best regards,
Leven

[silverly]

Online I find KNEB+ attributed to the importer +Th.J.E.v.Baal Nijmegen. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm this nor tell you anymore about them.

[silverport]

Hello Leven

The on the right of yours marks-image visible mark is definitely the maker’s mark of the in Pforzheim, Germany settled »G. Lauer AG«. The trademarks design is in her stylistic elements and positioning of them, including the oval frame, so very typical, that an attribution to another maker or purpose I don’t imagine.

Georg Lauer has founded his manufactory in 1896; his address was in 1903 ‘Bleichstr. 6’. His production range was mainly jewellery in Gold of all necessary finenesses — the other main production range were little, but useful utensils for woman’s and men’s cultural needs, in Gold or Silver, decorated with Email, Guilloches … also in each necessary fineness of the Inland and the Export market. These little, but useful items were e.g. beauty accessories for ladies, and for the men's moustaches too, writing utensils, smoking utensils …

In that time when the production of all these items was start, well then has already exist from 1 January 1888 the new law, how the items have to be marked; if they are made from alloys of minimum fineness.

That’s correct — but what should a maker doing, if he makes e.g. 100 cigarette cases of a special surface design in e.g. »Sterling« = 925-1,000 fineness: 10 of them were already ordered from their Italian representative, 15 for the United States of America, 15 for Denmark, 20 for Egypt, 10 for The Netherlands, 15 for the United Kingdom, and 15 for Turkey. How should he mark them all?

I think that the commercials liked to get their order marked as it was necessary, without German indications or with them. Don’t forget, Germany was, and still is not only an Import country, but also a very Export oriented one.

Leven, please scroll here in »925-1000« through all questions and contributions on German items, made or signed after 1 January 1888 — don’t forget: »Signed«; not »Assayed« or »Hallmarked«; because in Germany there weren’t anymore special »Assay« or »Hallmark« institutions.

It’s nearly unbelievable, that a very strong organised, and law and order oriented country, as then the German Emporium was, freed the industry and commerce, to have her own regulations and responsibility. And don’t forget, the market mechanism of concurrency is a very strong regulator — well, sometimes also in contrary to the humans need and the humans rights; but there fore existing regulative too, e.g. courts, pressure groups …

But it is as it is — I think there was and still is no more percentage of fraud as in areas of the Globe with other regulations. Don’t forget, we are all humans!

Kind regards silverport