Additional mark on Conquistador sterling = fake?

[muraille]

Someone else has a similar mark in the questions of the Mexican forum with a single photo, but no one has answered. Hopefully, these pics will prompt a knowledgeable contributor to enlighten us. Hopefully, this lovely plate is really a Conquistador item and the mystery is whether it was made based on a design by another silversmith. Since they produced for Spratling and Aguilar, they couldl have produced for someone else too? Any comments would be appreciated.
Hotlinks to hallmarks: http://j.imagehost.org/0666/mex_002.jpg
http://j.imagehost.org/0709/mex_004.jpg

[admin]

The first mark is certainly a Conquistador mark. The second is a modern variation on old colonial period Mexican silver marks, a pastiche of the Pillars of Hercules + M (for Mexico) tax mark, and the early Mexican Eagle hallmark (which inspired the later Eagle numbered marks).
Currently I believe this mark is unidentified, but there are only a couple of plausible possibilities:
1 - It is a mark of another silversmith that Conquistador subcontracted work to.
2 - It is the mark of a designer that Conquistador licensed designs from.
3 - It is a mark that Conquistador used to denote a specific line of products, such as reproductions of old colonial designs.

Given the design of the piece and the theme of the mark in question, I think number 3 is the most likely.

Regards, Tom

ps. Don't believe that Conquistador produced for Spratling and Aguilar. Rather, they paid a licensing fee to Spratling and Aguilar to produce and retail designs by these important Taxco makers. Given the information available on Conquistador, it is very likely that they made similar arrangements with an unknown number of lesser known Mexican silver firms.

[muraille]

Thank you very much Tom. As I was doing further research, I also thought they might have put this emblem for 1921 products, i.e. 100 years of Mexican independence. Pure conjecture on my part to add to the list!

[admin]

There is not a great deal of documentation on them, but don't believe Conquistador was founded as early as that, the firm probably did not exist before the late thirties, and possibly not until the mid-1940's.

Regards, Tom

[flylikeamoth]

Thanks for providing further info on this mark. I had posted earlier exact mark. I was told the set I have was from an estate and likely from 60's? Each piece is individually numbered and very well done. This set came from Cuurnavaca estate. Were there any really well known silvershops there or perhaps there still are...I am very interested in continuing the research if anyone can provide any leads? Thanks! Eric