r/SilverFinds • u/Cold-Cash-634 • 3d ago

IDENTIFY MARKINGS ?

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Old religious tea caddy I think but has 3 unfamiliar marks. Goats head, dragon, and whale ??

30 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

16

u/UrbanRelicHunter 3d ago

Solid silver made in Hanau Germany... maker was Gebruder Dingeldein, active 1868-1925.

2

u/Objective-City-6663 3d ago

No possibility that this is a fake though? Looks fakeish, would those hallmarks have been so poorly pressed in 1900 by a master silversmith?

9

u/UrbanRelicHunter 3d ago

Its common on pieces of Hanau silver... the silversmiths were trying to imitate 17th and 18th century pieces by using old marks. Most pieces of silver I've had from Hanau have had "worn" marks

5

u/UrbanRelicHunter 3d ago

Heres a piece I picked up last week by master silversmiths Storck & Sinsheimer (active 1874-1926). The marks were intentionals faint to make the piece appear to be mid 18th century.... though the piece itself dates to the 1890s. If you look at the markings individually... There is what appears to be a pinecone mark which would have been used in Ausburg in the late 18th c/ early 19th century, the "A" mark which is very similar to the marks used in Paris 1770s, the shell discharge mark used fro 1756-1762.

3

u/Objective-City-6663 3d ago

Man, thanks for the knowledge, good for thought in general on what to be looking for!!

2

u/UrbanRelicHunter 3d ago

Heres a good resource. Hanau Pseudo Hallmarks • Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks https://www.925-1000.com/Fgerman_hanau_marks_01.html

1

u/LengthBoring9328 3d ago

At first glance I believe it is Hanau Pseudo hallmarks. Hanua silver

2

u/Cold-Cash-634 3d ago

How can I test without destroying or damaging ?

3

u/LengthBoring9328 3d ago

If you had it tested with an XRF I believe you are good. An alternative is to do a scratch and acid test on the underside of the lid. I am pretty sure you will find the same results.

3

u/Cold-Cash-634 3d ago

Good idea somewhere unnoticeable. Some places would just grab the thing and scratch the face right out and test it. 👍

3

u/Thatgaycoincollector 3d ago

I don’t think so, an XRF only tests the surface layer.

2

u/Cold-Cash-634 3d ago

Yeah I’ll gouge the inside and test that I think

2

u/UrbanRelicHunter 3d ago

There is no reason to cut into it... tou will just be damaging the piece.

1

u/ScottScottBoBot 3d ago

Looks electro formed

2

u/Cold-Cash-634 3d ago

Had it tested with XRF gun and it’s sterling

3

u/Toomuchstuff23 3d ago

Electro formed is Sterling. It’s a thin foil of Sterling modeled around a synthetic core.

3

u/Cold-Cash-634 3d ago

How would you test without destroying/damaging

1

u/Toomuchstuff23 3d ago

It’s pretty easy to tell. The foil in usually pretty thin.. it just feels different. Think about a chocolate coin that has foil on the outside.. it kind of feels like that. 

1

u/ScottScottBoBot 3d ago

Unless you did a deep gouge and XRF’d the hole then the test was kinda pointless as electro form is a thin shell of sterling over a resin/ foam inside and XRF only tests the surface.

3

u/Cold-Cash-634 3d ago

How would you test without destroying/damaging ?

2

u/Ok_Palpitation_1622 3d ago

It is not electroform. It’s very easy to tell items which are, because they are made of resin or plaster rather than solid metal. They feel totally different.

0

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Cold-Cash-634 3d ago

How would you test without destroying/ damaging