www.925-1000.com

Hi all. Would be grateful for any information on the marks on this small, presumably Dutch, small bucket. It is 4cm high. The marks seem to be a mixture of genuine and spurious marks. I have not been able to identify the maker's mark, and I can find no date letter. In addition to the marks on the base of the bucket, there are 2 tiny marks on the wire handle. One is the key mark. The other mark is indecipherable but I guess could be the dolphin mark. Many thanks.
John

Hi Joho, indeed dolphin mark, ungaranteed mark with export key. Pseudo marks: VB pseudo maker's mark, pseudo year letter I (?). The maker's mark unclear but perhaps RS above 2 in a square shield, if so, for Rinze Jans Spaanstra, registered in Drachten, Wommels, Berlicum and Nijehaske, 1864/1896. Please check the maker's mark.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=28590&p=102021&hilit=Spaanstra#p83316
Peter.

The Dolphin mark
The Dutch dolphin mark; the 1859 duty mark for new unguaranteed objects of national origin. This mark was used on all new silver objects below legal standard of fineness, those with non-precious metal additions, and on new heavily gold or silver plated objects, as long as the average precious metal content after melting with the base metal was at least 250/1000. It was also struck on rejected objects which had been submitted at lowest standard of fineness. In that case the maker had to choose between destruction or unguaranteed marking. This mark was sometimes also mistakenly used on old and foreign objects. Dolphin mark used from 1859-1893 and valid from 1859 till 1953.

Hi Peter. Many thanks for the information and the link - interesting reading! Although not that clearly struck, I believe the makers mark is RS over 2 and together with the fantasy mark WB I think it highly likely that Spaanstra is the maker.

Thanks again
John