www.925-1000.com

Could anyone please help me to identify the marks on this cup and cover together with an indication of how old the item is?
Many thanks

Hi Clive,

Welcome to the Forum.

The dolphin mark was used at the city of Genoa.

The Cross of Saints Maurice & Lazarus was used in the Kingdom Piedmont & Sardinia as the mark for large items of second standard (800/1000) silver. It was in use from 1824 until 1873.

Are there no other marks?

Trev.

Hi Trev
Thank you for the welcome and the information which is much appreciated. Sadly I can find no other marks other than those shown
Happy new year
Clive

Hi,

As far as I can see is the same cross (in the same shield) found in Tardy dated as late 18e century. In "Argenti italiani dell'800" from V.Donaver-R.Dabbene (vol. 1, page 163 and 164), I read that the mark was used in different towns between 1860 and 1872. So, I don't understand.
Do I read the letter "C"? Or is that not a letter?

Regards,

Zilverik

Hi Zilverik,

Not a letter 'C', but a 'dolphin', the mark of the city of Genoa.

Trev.

Hi Trev,

Thank you. Now I found other information on the forum, such as: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17823&hilit=genoa+blakstone.
What I don't understand is that the Cross of Saints Maurice & Lazarus, used in the Kingdom Piedmont & Sardinia (and Sardegna) was in use from 1824 until 1873. While in other cities (Bologna, Ferrara, Forly, Jesi, Macerata, Perugia, Ravenna, Spoleto, Urbino) the (same?) cross mark was used between 1860 and 1870. That is confusing. Is there an explanation?

Regards,

Zilverik

Hi Erik,

Perhaps helpful, see: in 1860 the territories of the "Seconda Ricupera" were annexed to the unified Kingdom of Italy. The Decree of August 22, 1863 extended to these territories the Italian hallmarking system with the addition of the initial of capital town of the province.
http://www.silvercollection.it/ROMEHALLMARKS.html


Oel.

Hi Zilverik,

I'm really not knowledgeable regarding Italian history, but I suspect the answer to your question may lie in the details of the unification of the Italian states that was to eventually lead to the formation of the Kingdom of Italy. This would no doubt have led to the rules and laws becoming standardised, and as far as hallmarking is concerned, the spread of the use of a particular mark.

Hopefully someone better versed in the subject can tell us more.

Trev.

Apologies for the crossed post, but I think we are thinking along the same lines.

Trev.

Hi Oel and Trev,

Thank you. Interesting.
So the key is the Italian unification process: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_unification

Regards,

Zilverik