Need help with silversmith mark.

[GibH]

Does anyone recognize this maker's mark? 800 is the only other mark, no hallmarks. Thanks!

 

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[cyberdan]

normally 800 means 800 silver (like 925 means sterling)
The other could be a makers mark. I go here a lot for research. 925-1000.com

 

[Red-Coat]

Silver ashtrays like that are almost always from the Netherlands or Germany but both countries had sufficiently disciplined hallmarking regulations that I don't think it's from either of those places. I believe it's most likely from Italy (probably Northern Italy) with an unregulated .800 fine mark. Before 5th February 1934 (at which time marks were standardised), Italian silversmiths rarely submitted their pieces for the optional official hallmarking, there was no uniformity of fineness marks, and maker's marks are poorly documented.

The maker's mark looks to me like a stylised conjoined A and R arranged in a triangle, which I don't recognise. Pieces from Arezzo are customarily marked 'AR' but I think the mark here represents the maker's initials rather than being a generic mark for Arezzo.

 

[GibH]

Silver ashtrays like that are almost always from the Netherlands or Germany but both countries had sufficiently disciplined hallmarking regulations that I don't think it's from either of those places. I believe it's most likely from Italy (probably Northern Italy) with an unregulated .800 fine mark. Before 5th February 1934 (at which time marks were standardised), Italian silversmiths rarely submitted their pieces for the optional official hallmarking, there was no uniformity of fineness marks, and maker's marks are poorly documented.

The maker's mark looks to me like a stylised conjoined A and R arranged in a triangle, which I don't recognise. Pieces from Arezzo are customarily marked 'AR' but I think the mark here represents the maker's initials rather than being a generic mark for Arezzo.

I was thinking Danish or Swiss, but the same thing with hallmark regulations apply.

 

[Red-Coat]

I was thinking Danish or Swiss, but the same thing with hallmark regulations apply.

Agree its not likely to be either of those. If I was looking at a vintage-antique .800 marked silver piece like that then Italy would be at the top of my list for unregulated marks. Many such marks are never reliably attributed and those pieces tend to be sold on this side of the pond as "continental silver" (ie from mainland Europe but of unproven origin).

 

[SCpicker]

The maker mark reminds me of a piece of 800 German silver I had. The maker was Wilhelm Geist. Similar mark with the 800 and a funny triangle mark. Not very helpful but maybe a point in the right direction.

 

[Red-Coat]

These would be Geist marks.





The triangular geometry is similar, but not the mark we're looking at here, I think.