Hello
I repeat here - as an addition - to Tom's remark, my here modified explanation to topic:
viewtopic.php?t=19195
In »Neuwirth« for »Vienna« are registered a little bit more then 2,400 maker's mark. A maker's mark for »GO« in Antique letters and in a »free style cartouche« isn't there mentioned - I guess that this missing mark belong to another Assay Office - and there are a lot of them - in the Austria-Hungarian Empire. All of them have used the same scheme as they've used in Vienna.
Vienna assay office had a maker's mark scheme of seven main type of maker's mark's "frame" or cartouche:
I = horizontal rectangle
II = horizontal rectangle with clipped edges
III = horizontal oval
IV = horizontal rectangle with vertical notches in upper and lower part
V = horizontal oval with vertical notches in upper and lower part
VI = horizontal oval with horizontal notches on left and right side
VII = horizontal rectangle with horizontal notches on left and right side
For this 7 type's of cartouche's are 14 differences of
upper case letter combinations:
1 = Antique letters
2 = Grotesque letters
3 = Antique letters, in between of them a centred pellet
4 = Grotesque letters, in between of them a centred pellet
5 = Antique letters, in between of them a centred vertical short stroke
6 = Grotesque letters, in between of them a centred vertical short stroke
7 = Antique letters, in between of them a hyphen
8 = Grotesque letters, in between of them a hyphen
9 = Antique letters, in between of them an x
10 = Grotesque letters, in between of them an x
11 = Free style Antique letters and Ligatures
12 = Ligatures in Grotesque letters
13 = Antique letters, in between of them an ampersand
14 = Grotesque letters, in between of them an ampersand
To could enlarge the possible amount of marks, came in force from Vienna assay office, regulation number »2172/1907«.
This short coming of maker’s mark could be also a reason for a kind of “freedom” given to »GO« for to get a freestyle cartouche — so we have here with also an indication of time frame when »GO« mark was maybe first registered (= 1907 +) ?
If a professional -
from 1907 on - has solicitude for a maker's mark, he had especially to mention in his solicitation, if he like to get a mark out of this new enlarged scheme =
Italic scheme. If yes, then he had to mark his solicitation with
N = new. Otherwise he has got one in old scheme.
Nr. 1 until 10, 13 and 14 (except 11 and 12 !): In regulation »2172/1907« is fixed, that primary types of cartouche I, II, IV and VII have to be
rhombic and letters have then to be in
italic.
In that case maybe were also in use rhombic pellets, strokes, hyphen, x, and ampersand as well?
Some company and workshop had - separately - also a symbol as her mark, like J.C. Klinkosch knights helmet (Neuwirth, vol. II, p. 372, # 2406).
There were also some more differences possible, e.g. in relief (table 12) and incise (without cartouche).
In a register for every letter combination of Antique and Grotesque letters were remark the name of applicant; e.g. one sheet = AA in Antique, another one = AA in Grotesque …
(This is in short a visual excerpt of Neuwirth, vol. I, p. 66 table 11 [Type scheme of maker's mark] and p. 67 table 12 [JB in Antique])
Kind regards silverport
