I acquired a set of 8 silver teaspoons at auction, in a burgundy velvet case, white satin lid interior. I've managed to ID the hallmark, which told me where they were from, and a time range: Austro-Hungarian, 1872-1922, produced in Pest, and that they are .800 silver.
Opposite the hallmark on the underside of the spoon bowl, is what I am assuming to be the silversmith's mark. It looks to me to be what i've discovered is called a "cylix", a shallow, two-handled drinking up with a round base/foot. I have not been able to find a silversmith in Austro-Hungary using this mark. Some research has come up with a Jewish silversmith, Herman Lowy, b.1785 (strange accent on the o that i can't replicate), who worked in Pest, was a community leader, and donated a silver chalice to a Lutheran Pastor in gratitude for assistance provided after flooding in Pest. Unfortunately, this was in 1838, and it seems unlikely that this man would still have been a working silversmith some 34+ years later, at almost 80 yrs of age.
Sorry if I'm rambling a bit. Trying to provide as much detail as I can from my own research thus far.
I hope this image link works... any help in ID'ing this silversmith would be greatly appreciated!
