Coin silver box with agate lid - maker ID please

[yooperin]

This coin silver box has an agate lid. It is 2 1/2" long. The only mark is inside, and is G K (as pictured). My Wyler book shows a couple of silversmiths with these initials, but no examples of the mark. Can anyone tell me who it is? Thanks for looking.


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[dragonflywink]

Pretty piece. Is there a reason you believe it to be American coin? Out of my area, but I would have guessed, perhaps, Scottish.

~Cheryl
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[yooperin]

I'm only thinking American coin because the only marks are the initials shown. I'd think anything British or even Continental would have assay marks as well as a maker's mark.
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[dragonflywink]

Hope this isn't taken as too blunt, but I'm very pressed for time and hoping for response from folks with more knowledge and better access to references than myself, but would be incorrect to believe that only a maker's mark would exclude other origins. Nice pictures - can be very frustrating when asked for IDs with only pics of marks.

~Cheryl
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[yooperin]

I am a little confused now. I guess since this was moved from American coin silver forum, a moderator thinks this may be something else. I would appreciate hearing opinions regarding age and origin of this box.
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[MCB]

Hello,

It isn't unheard of to find British silver without hallmarks but their absence does make attribution of origin and date very difficult.

I'll leave it to others better qualified who will hopefully tell you whether the box is stylistically appropriate to the early 19th century and British but there was a GK mark registered at the London Assay Office in 1819 by a George King which is very much like the one on the box and recorded at item 841 in Arthur G Grimwade's book on London Goldsmiths 1697-1837 which you may like to compare.

From my records there isn't another British GK maker's mark at all similar.

Mike
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[yooperin]

Thank you Mike & Cheryl. I love mysteries when I'm reading, but it drives me crazy with silver.
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