www.925-1000.com

Good evening
Got this from a silver plate scratch box today. Turns out to be a 950 silver fork by Henri Soufflot. Any idea what the pattern could be? After cleaning I found a beetle hallmark on it aswell. What does it mean?
Dankie
Jannie

The beetle mark

Good evening, see French Bigorne marks;
http://www.silvercollection.it/dictionarybigorne.html
Asseblief,
Peter.

oel wrote:Good evening, see French Bigorne marks;
http://www.silvercollection.it/dictionarybigorne.html
Asseblief,
Peter.

Thanks Peter I saw that but am bit confused as Henri registered his mark in 1884, same year they stopped putting bugs on silver. Does this mean the fork was made in 1884 or before that?

Jannie

Henri Soufflot was the successor of Henri Chenailler in 1884.
The bigorne was used 1818 until 1984 according my source.
From 1818 to 1984, the French instituted a system whereby they engraved their anvils with insects. In the case of the small anvil used to mark jewelry, they were incised in a zigzag pattern depicting rows of insects. This specially engraved bigorne anvil was then used in a system devised to countermark hallmarks.

The Article 185 of Appendix III of the French General Tax Code (which introduced the insect-engraved bigornes in use from 1838) was officially abrogated on 16 July 1984 by the Article 9 of Decree No. 84-623. resting on the insects.
(courtesy Robert Massart/ASCAS)

Peter

oel wrote:Henri Soufflot was the successor of Henri Chenailler in 1884.
The bigorne was used 1818 until 1984 according my source.
From 1818 to 1984, the French instituted a system whereby they engraved their anvils with insects. In the case of the small anvil used to mark jewelry, they were incised in a zigzag pattern depicting rows of insects. This specially engraved bigorne anvil was then used in a system devised to countermark hallmarks.

The Article 185 of Appendix III of the French General Tax Code (which introduced the insect-engraved bigornes in use from 1838) was officially abrogated on 16 July 1984 by the Article 9 of Decree No. 84-623. resting on the insects.
(courtesy Robert Massart/ASCAS)

Peter

I missed that 1984...thanks.