Old USMC Cross

[Silver Surfer]

Hey folks....

I found this old USMC cross a few weeks back, took a tremendous amount of work to get it looking like it does.
Found about a 1 1/2 ft down in black lake muck, it was encrusted with so much black I didnt know it was a cross... Chain was not found with it, but in same area hunted. It is marked "Italy".. Doubt they were together when lost..

My question is, when the heck did they switch from marking silver jewelry from "Sterling" to ".925"?
Only thing I find on the web says 1906, but I am quite sure they stamped "Sterling" well into the 40's?

Going to sell it rather than melt it, and want as much authenticating info as is possible. I feel comfortable calling it an "antique", but wish I had a better handle on a possible year range..

Hope the pic's help. I imagine it hanging around a WWII vet's neck, and the area hunted used to be a playground for military folks during WWII and even back to WWI..
I did post this in the "Antique" section for help also..

Thanks for any help...

 

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[Silver Surfer]

Partially found what I was looking for... There are several of these, exactly the same, on ebay... But they are selling as "new"... I have written to them asking if marked .925 or Sterling.. We'll see what they say.. Selling for $50 up to $70... Better than melt for sure, but casts doubts that it is really old.. Might be just a few years old. I'll let you know what they write back..

 

[lorraine]

That's a beautiful find, SS!

 

[Unicorn]

An interesting find SS and you cleaned it up very well. How did you do it?

 

[dave5339]

That is nice! Should you decide to sell the cross PM me please.

Semper Fi

 

[niffler]

I worked as a silver and gold smith for a while. My opinion is that American made silver is marked "Sterling", and foreign made is marked "925". HH Niffler

 

[wildman4910]

Sweet find, good to hear your up & out!

Keep up the good finds.

~~Happy Hunting~~​

 

[tnt-k9]

Those are 2 really nice pieces of silver I'm no expert but I think you might be able to date it by the "Globe & Anchor". If I recall there were some slight variations made to the USMC logo over the years. I was not a Marine so I'm not 100%. It's worth a shot.

 

[Silver Surfer]

An interesting find SS and you cleaned it up very well. How did you do it?

Vinegar to start, then Tarn-x for a short soak, then electrolysis for about ten minutes.. Now I just need to buff it with jewelers rouge..

 

[Silver Surfer]

Those are 2 really nice pieces of silver I'm no expert but I think you might be able to date it by the "Globe & Anchor". If I recall there were some slight variations made to the USMC logo over the years. I was not a Marine so I'm not 100%. It's worth a shot.

I have a feeling that it was made by the same outfit that made the ones that I saw for sale... I am guessing that the same style could not be exactly copied by a different company. When they answer my email about how their new ones are stamped, I will know more... I will check the details of the piece more closely to look for more subtle differences.

 

[Silver Surfer]

That is nice! Should you decide to sell the cross PM me please.

Semper Fi

PM sent...

 

[Silver Surfer]

Well, I guess it is old.... The epay sellers I wrote to both replied that their "New" identical crosses are stamped .925 and not Sterling... Guess the design is popular enough to have been around for awhile..

 

[WNYDigger]

this site has that same cross but in gold costing 327.00 bucks....

http://www.jewelbasket.com/jbuur42061.html