unidentified silver marks

[sandief]

I have four silver open salts, but can't find out what the two marks are on them. One is in a diamond with two letters, the other when enlarged looks like a dragon and a rabbit ( or hare).

09082010132.jpg

[Margaux]

Louis Legrand
Symbol: un croissant et un étau entre deux étoiles
17 novembre 1905
16 janvier 1928
Paris, 50 rue Charlot

[sandief]

Thank you very much. Would the other mark, dragon and rabbit be the town mark, where it was made?

[Margaux]

I only saw one hallmark in one (to big) picture with the losange/the silversmith´s mark.
The only other mark there shoud be is a minervahead (or sometimes a mercury head for exported silverware). Small articles can carry a boarshead or a mark with a crab instead of a minerva. (On the salts I own there always is a minervahead).
In the period 1905 - 1925 there were no marks for towns/regions in use no more. (That practice ended in 1938)

[sandief]

This is the other mark, sorry if it comes out too big

[silverport]

»Minerva« head - one of the until yet actual French fineness marks.

Hello sandief

As already »Margaux« has mentioned in his last post - the other mark is the, from you wrong interpreted, French »Minerva« fineness mark.

Be attend; but it's very simple:

»Minerva« head to the right, in an octogon cartouche = 950-1,000 fineness.

»Minerva« head to the right, in a barrel cartouche = 800-1,000 fineness.

Please look here (top right corner: »Minerva«): http://www.925-1000.com/Ffrench_marks.html

Kind regards silverport

[sandief]

Thank you for your help. When i first looked at the mark, I did see it as a head, it was only when I enlarged it, thought it was a dragon!
Is there a website I can find out more about Louis Legrand? I looked on Google and found him as an artist, no mention of silverwork. Is this the same Louis Legrand?

Regards Sandie

[Margaux]

I have little additional info on this silversmith to give.

I found his marks in the register of the french ministère de la culture: http://www.culture.gouv.fr

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/marque_fr?ACTION=RETROUVER&FIELD_1=DOMN&VALUE_1=%20&FIELD_2=NOM&VALUE_2=&FIELD_3=INI&VALUE_3=%27L%2eL%2e%27&FIELD_4=SYMB&VALUE_4=&FIELD_5=loca&VALUE_5=&FIELD_6=Date%20d%27insculpation&VALUE_6=&NUMBER=29&GRP=0&REQ=%28%28%27L%2eL%2e%27%29%20%3aINI%20%29&USRNAME=nobody&USRPWD=4%24%2534P&SPEC=9&SYN=1&IMLY=&MAX1=1&MAX2=150&MAX3=150&DOM=All

There is a clear picture of the makersmark which exactly matches yours in this site