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I have this silver boar model.



The base is marked with the French Swan Control Mark (small mark on the left) and two other marks I can't identify. I guess its a German model, early to mid 20th century with spurious old looking marks...



Just under the head, the body is marked with the French Swan Control Mark, struck twice.



I have two questions -

1. Does anyone recognise the main marks?

2. Why is the French Control Mark struck twice? I have seen this before but looking online I just can't find any reason why.

Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

Hi Jonathan, welcome to the forum.
Double hallmarks occur when an item is made of component parts of the same precious metal, either hinge or a link connected.
The boar and base are considered linked, thus the boar marked with the double swan and the base with single swan.
The French swan mark; the swan mark indicates that the item is at least a minimum standard of 800 and was produced in a non-treaty country and served as an import identification. The swan mark used 1893-until 1970.
The other two marks; H and unclear mark could be Dutch pseudo marks.
Does the boars head comes off, and what is the size?


Peter

Source; World Hallmarks Volume I Europe 19th to 21st Centuries Hallmark Research Institute

Dear Peter, thanks for your response - your explanation of the double mark makes sense. The boar is bolted onto the base. The base has a single swan mark and the boar body has the double mark. So, 2 parts of the whole. The head is removable and in fact has to be removed to reveal the double swan mark which is on the collar. Its interesting that the removable head does not have the swan mark. It would be nice if that part was marked 3 times! But perhaps there was a minimum weight limit.

The model is about 30cm long. So quite big. And yes, I also thought the other marks were some kind of pseudo mark. I guess the model is one of those 20th century German ones where they were "inventive" with the markings. Difficult to date precisely I suppose but nice that the french control marks make it pre 1970. I fear there are many modern animal models passing as old out there.

A quick clarification: the swan did not cease being marked in 1970, but rather continues today to indicate silver of unknown origin, or silver of unknown origin sold at public auction. The swan can’t be used to definitively date an object.

Hi JayT,

The book World Hallmarks Volume 1 Europe 19th to 21st Centuries;

The French swan 1893-1970

From 1984 to date , there was a radical change in the use of some French hallmarks. as the fashion for mixed metal items increased, there was a need to mark the items so that the consumer would know what the approximated percentage of gold or silver was to the base metal(s). Barred marks were incorporated into four previously used hallmarks to indicate the item's percentage of both precious and base metals; one bar silver more than 50%, two bars silver less than 50%. If no bars, then the mark is a regular hallmark.Barred marks may also have a regional assay office symbol(?).

The "new"swan mark has his wings spread out, his flippers are clear and the grass under his legs is gone.
I believe the bear has the old swan marks.
However the book World Hallmarks is not without little errors and/or maybe I read wrong or misunderstand.

Best,

Peter.

Source; World Hallmarks Volume I Europe 19th to 21st Centuries Hallmark Research Institute