Russian MMET signs - what do they mean

[sebastian4743]

I have some silver plated items (like the spoon and salt cellar below) from the Soviet Union and cannot figure out what the marks MMET actually stand for including the numbers before. I came across the number 010, 210 and 310. What do they mean? Please advise. Is it a code used by different manufacturers or can they be used only by one (if yes who?)?

[dognose]

Hi Sebastian,

It is ЮММЕТ. Scroll down through this topic: viewtopic.php?f=46&t=20870

Trev.

[sebastian4743]

Thanks Trev! I have read the linked posts and I see there is no agreement on few things. For example the year of production. In this example should we say the salt cellar was made in the 1972 or rather 1962?

[dognose]

Hi Sebastian,

Hopefully one of our Russian experts can advise.

Trev.

[Qrt.S]

YUMMET means someting like "juvelirnaja metal" i.e jeweler's metal. It is usually German silver; an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc often with a electroplated thin silver coat. However, I have been told that it also would be an alloy of nickel (70%) and silver (30%) but I have never managed to verify that.

The figures and letters are the price Щ Р 30 К Щена 0P 30 копек meaning "price 0 rubles 30 kopek". In the former Soviet union the price was punched on the object in order to avoid "fluctuating" pricing :-)))). Number 2 in front of ЮММЕТ is the year of manufacturing. In this case I would bet on 1972 but it could be as well 1962.

[agphile]

I'm afraid I don't quite agree about the interpretation of ЮММЕТ. There are two parts to the mark which are sometimes separated by the date code. For instance, I have an example with ЮМ4МЕТ where I think the 4 is for 1974, but it could be 1964. The second, МЕТ part will indeed indicate a base metal alloy, probably copper, nickel and zinc. A quick search of Russian language sites produces conflicting interpretations of the first part. I am most persuaded that it stands for ювелирная артель (or ювелир) “Мстёра“, the Mstyora (or Mstera) jewellery workshop. One Russian site had the M standing for Moscow but Mstera Jewellers still exist. They seem quite a large undertaking with their own website and do seem the most likely source for so many items bearing this mark.

[agphile]

I should have added that the term Jeweller is used in Russian with a wider meaning than in English so can be read as silversmith though covering work in base metals as well.

[Qrt.S]

@agphile
Mind my saying, but it is not a question of agreeing or disagreeing. I assume that you read this link viewtopic.php?f=46&t=20870. The actual question and problem is that nobody seems to know for sure what this abbreviation "ЮММЕТ" really stands for and not even what the alloy's content in fact is. I mentioned this i my previous input and the same can be read in the attached thread. What people believe is not necessary what it is. We lack clear proofs. So what is it? That is still an at least partly open question.

What comes to this ЮМ4МЕТ I can tell that Троепольская's "Справочник" identifies ЮМ4 (#20514) as a silver mark for Художественная Фабрика (Art Factory...(in Moscow inspection area)) Г. Мстера 1964 (not 1974). This ЮМ4МЕТ I have not seen on silver items but we are, however, talking about plated objects' marks here. I'm less familiar with marks of those.

[agphile]

Identifying the maker of an item from its mark is often a matter of looking at the probabilities when hard documentary evidence is lacking. As well as reading the linked topic I have done a bit of searching of my own which leads me to think Mstera Jewellers are the probable makers. Note that I gave this as my opinion, not as an indisputable fact. I felt it was a little misleading simply to repeat that the mark stood for something like jeweller's metal (if so, why the double M in the mark?) simply because there was not absolute proof for the Mstera suggestion.

[Qrt.S]

No problem, so be it ;-))))) Meanwhile, we shall wait for somebody to present waterproof evidences.

[sebastian4743]

Thank you all for your help! Maybe some reliable sources on this marks will soon appear on the market. It would be nice especially as this IOMMET mark is relatively popular.

Best wishes,
Sebastian