An Eyeful

[Traintime]

And now for someyhing completely different..more figures and faces than I want to count. Marks on handle base at back: "78 STERLING" (spoon) and "25 STERLING" (fork). On front of fork...Lion rampant guarantee but unreadable numeral (left) and letter code (right) resembling downward-hooked capital "T" (1954?), but cannot dismiss similar small "r" marks. Don't see other marks in detail except a pentagram-like repetition in the backwall details, which I expect is just design element. Any clue as to what we are looking at?

[Traintime]

A bit of suspicion..cleaning the nieolo only from the marks makes me think these are re-castings made from impressions of older objects. Could this be something done outside the Nederlands and thus the simple sterling stamps? Museum issues or other?

[Traintime]

Ah, sorry! Pentagram should have been pentagonal-like...big difference.

[oel]

Hi, could be Dutch silver (hall)marks, standard mark, lion passant above 2 (833) or ll (835) with export key ( below the sterling standard 925). Check for more marks; office mark Minerva head and maker's mark.
For Dutch (hall) marks see:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=32028
Please clean and show all marks of fork and spoon(enhanced clear images). Top left of the lion passant could be a maker's mark.


Peter

[Traintime]

Group 2 of 4: Reverse side construction..note little tarnish, none of the niello, plain with shell at handle base, Sterling stamp on handles.

[Traintime]

Group 3 of 4: Another view of reverse showing handle end points, shot of lion passant after (niello) blackening agent has been partially cleared.

[Traintime]

Group 4 of 4: Detail of fork showing object on back wall of garden scene (obviously not a maker mark), garden scene in base, and figurals/faces on handle. [No authentic other markings can be found hidden in detail or obscurred by antiquing agent.]

[oel]

Hi, nothing more I can say or add. You are probably right re- cast, including the marks, hence the wrong shape of the standard mark.

Peter

[Traintime]

Thank you, Peter. At least it adds to our knowledge of what's floating around out there.

[Aguest]

I know I should make a new thread for my object, but I think I found a similar re-cast object with Austria-Hungary hallmarks....