Norwegian marks on 1861 silver wedding vinaigrette or what?

[polar bear]

[dragonflywink]

Much better photo of your luktevannshus or scentheart than you had on the other board - good work! Can see the löd mark now, looks like 11½, which I believe works out to 718¾/1000. The Bergen mark and "61" are clear, there should be someone along soon with a better knowledge of Norwegian marks to help you.

Cheryl ;o)

[polar bear]

Thanks, darlin'! I really do appreciate all your help. Thank goodness for people like you!

[blakstone]

Very nice. Clockwise from upper left, the marks are:

11-1/2: the fineness, which Cheryl correctly identifies as .719 silver
Seven Balls: the city mark of Bergen, representing the city's seven hills (the mark in this form was used from the second quarter of the 19th century onward)
61: the year 1861, as confirmed by the inscription
?/M: the month, though I can't make out the numeral on top; is it a "12" for December?

and finally, in the center,

LAR, in treble circles: the maker's mark of Lorents Christopher Angell Reimers of Bergen, Master 1832.

Hope this helps!

[polar bear]

Thank You so much!! I could just hug you both! You are angels to me. I appreicate your help more than I can say. This is a wonderful site with very intelligent people. You all are the true gems !

[polar bear]

Would this be considered Sterling? Obviously, I am ignorant about silver, but want to learn. Thank You .

[blakstone]

No, sterling is .925 silver, or 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% alloy metal, almost always copper. .719 silver is 71.9% pure silver and 28.1% copper. This (and other) lower standards were common on the continent, generally used on utilitarian items, such as your scent-box; the lower (and therefore harder) alloy could better withstand constant use.

[polar bear]

Thank You for the knowledge, I didn't want to assume anything. I do find it very interesting.

[polar bear]

The more that I look, it appears to be 13 1/3 L. What would this mean as far as fineness goes? Thanks !

[Matulda]

Lothig (lödighet) is an old weight measure that was used for stating the fineness in silver. It's based on 16 parts because there are 16 loth (lod) to 1 mark, so 13 1/3 out of 16 equals 83.3% pure silver. Today we mark the fineness in parts per thousand, so we would say that it's 833/1000 silver, or .833.

I'm sure that you are correct since this is more of a standard content for silver. In Sweden, and I guess Norway too, the lowest fineness that was allowed to be called silver was 13 1/4. The standard here today is 830/1000 for all kinds of silver ware except jewellery.

[dragonflywink]

Ah, the joys of reading marks online! Believe I can see the "3" now (might be time to get my eyes checked!). Have seen löthige marks as low as 11, usually on German or Austrian pieces.

Cheryl ;o)

[polar bear]

Thank You from the bottom of my heart! I have a new respect for silver. I just love you folks!