Vintage Ottoman Turk Niello Cigarette Case

[tamrock]

This I picked up today for $8.71. When I got to my truck the 1st thing I googled was Turkish Cigarette Case and a couple similar examples came up. One reference I searched was the Turkish Ottoman Army insignia which lead me to the house of Osman, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_dynasty which does look like what's on this case, but not exactly. I'm not 100% sure it's silver though, but maybe the alloy know as German Silver. It's decorated with what's known as neillo.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niello , Inside there is a stamped mark done twice of XP.XAP, and I'm thinking is a makers mark.

 

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[HistoryTeacher]

That is really awesome. I can't tell you anything about it, but I love the design.

 

[tamrock]

That is really awesome. I can't tell you anything about it, but I love the design.

Thanks, It was in a locked glass case and it caught my eye instantly. Told the lady who opened the case, I'll take it. Hopefully it is silver, but having no purity marks, leaves me thinking it's very possibly the metal of many names such as, Nickel Silver, Maillechort, German Silver, Argentan, New Silver, Nickel Brass, Albata, or Alpacca, just to name a few.

 

[HistoryTeacher]

It looks like the design echoes one from the Young Turks.

https://www.houshamadyan.org/mapott...palu/political-life/ottoman-constitution.html

 

[Red-Coat]

Nice case.

I don’t know what the XP.XAP means but the engraving is a generic coat of arms for the Ottoman Empire in the design commissioned by Mahmud II but not adopted until 17th April 1882 by Abdul Hamid II.

Yours is generic because at the top it has a star and a crescent with floral emblems. In official versions, the crescent would have “Relying on Divine success, the King of the Sublime Ottoman State” inscribed within it in Arabic, and above it would be the ruling Sultan’s tughra rather than a star. As on this one, also in niello:

The tughra on items like this doesn’t necessarily relate to the actual date the item was made. Often they hark back to the earlier glory days of the Ottoman Empire and generic ones with no tughra usually date to after the dissolution of the Empire in 1922..

 

[tamrock]

Nice case.

I don’t know what the XP.XAP means but the engraving is a generic coat of arms for the Ottoman Empire in the design commissioned by Mahmud II but not adopted until 17th April 1882 by Abdul Hamid II.

Yours is generic because at the top it has a star and a crescent with floral emblems. In official versions, the crescent would have “Relying on Divine success, the King of the Sublime Ottoman State” inscribed within it in Arabic, and above it would be the ruling Sultan’s tughra rather than a star. As on this one, also in niello:

View attachment 2127903

The tughra on items like this doesn’t necessarily relate to the actual date the item was made. Often they hark back to the earlier glory days of the Ottoman Empire and generic ones with no tughra usually date to after the dissolution of the Empire in 1922..

Yeah that's the difference I noticed at the top insignia. I wondered if it signified something else.

 

[Mackaydon]

Some history:
"From the inception of the Ottoman Empire in 1299, until its dissolution in 1922, the sultans from the House of Osman ruled the Ottoman dynasty in direct succession. The second ruler Sultan Orhan I (1288-1360) was the first to have a tughra designed as a calligraphic monogram or signature that would be affixed to all official documents. Later sultans also had their tughra stamped on coins minted during their reign.
As each sultan ascended the throne, he had a carefully crafted tughra that embellished his name drawn by the court calligrapher. Gradually, the design of tughra evolved over time until it reached a pinnacle during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566)."

Source: https://blogs.loc.gov/international...:~:text=From the inception,during their reign.

Here's another item with the (unexplained) 'XP.XAP.' mark:

Antique Ottoman Turkish Silver & Niello Enamel Box • $510.00

ANTIQUE OTTOMAN TURKISH Silver & Niello Enamel Box - $510.00. FOR SALE! Antique Ottoman Turkish Silver & Niello Enamel Box: A magnificent silver and niello enamel box measuring 3 1/4" long X 2 1/4" long and inside depth about 3/4" On reverse a building not familiar with and front of box features...

picclick.com

Don in SoCal

 

[Joecoins]

Nice score

 

[tamrock]

Some history:
"From the inception of the Ottoman Empire in 1299, until its dissolution in 1922, the sultans from the House of Osman ruled the Ottoman dynasty in direct succession. The second ruler Sultan Orhan I (1288-1360) was the first to have a tughra designed as a calligraphic monogram or signature that would be affixed to all official documents. Later sultans also had their tughra stamped on coins minted during their reign.
As each sultan ascended the throne, he had a carefully crafted tughra that embellished his name drawn by the court calligrapher. Gradually, the design of tughra evolved over time until it reached a pinnacle during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566)."

Source: https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2021/07/the-sultans-tughra/#:~:text=From the inception,during their reign.

Here's another item with the (unexplained) 'XP.XAP.' mark:

Antique Ottoman Turkish Silver & Niello Enamel Box • $510.00

ANTIQUE OTTOMAN TURKISH Silver & Niello Enamel Box - $510.00. FOR SALE! Antique Ottoman Turkish Silver & Niello Enamel Box: A magnificent silver and niello enamel box measuring 3 1/4" long X 2 1/4" long and inside depth about 3/4" On reverse a building not familiar with and front of box features...

picclick.com

Don in SoCal

Thanks Don, I've been looking into what this item might be worth and it does appear those with an Ottoman design are worth more that other niello cases I've looked at.. I'm pretty sure it's worth more than I paid. I sold one that had gold inlay on it years ago that came from Japan with a makers mark of a dragonfly inside. It was in rough shape outside, but if I recall it sold for over $300. Also I find this neillo technique interesting. It alone has a long rich history. I've been having a hunch that XP.XAP might be Russian related 🤔 Just not finding anything to rule that thought out.

 

[pepperj]

Thanks Don, I've been looking into what this item might be worth and it does appear those with an Ottoman design are worth more that other niello cases I've looked at.. I'm pretty sure it's worth more than I paid. I sold one that had gold inlay on it years ago that came from Japan with a makers mark of a dragonfly inside. It was in rough shape outside, but if I recall it sold for over $300. Also I find this neillo technique interesting. It alone has a long rich history. I've been having a hunch that XP.XAP might be Russian related 🤔 Just not finding anything to rule that thought out.

Have you test kit?

 

[tamrock]

I don't test my own stuff. I take it to the PM buyer near by. I find it best they're convinced also, because they only deal in facts. They'll soot me a price they would pay and I can except or decline. I do cash in the crap silver there often, so I don't leave them with the feeling I'm just a pest eating up all their acid. They wanna by every gram that comes through the door. It's a great place to look over all the jewelry also. The owner finally caught on who Georg Jensen was when I asked to see the 3rd piece he obtained, which I wanted to buy. He handed to me and said, so you kinda like those Georg Jensen pieces. I said oh, you finally realized I was very selective on all this silver jewelry you have. He made me a okay deal and I sold it for maybe 3 time the amount I gave him.

 

[tamrock]

I found an image online of another cigarette case with the mark XP.XAP almost the same, but with an extra period X.P. XAP. This one in the lower left says it's Greek in origin and the workmanship does look similar to mine imo.

 

[pepperj]

I found an image online of another cigarette case with the mark XP.XAP almost the same, but with an extra period X.P. XAP. This one in the lower left says it's Greek in origin and the workmanship does look similar to mine imo.

Nice starting price.

 

[ARC]

Personally... the ones i have seen are never silver.

 

[tamrock]

Personally... the ones i have seen are never silver.

It may not be. I'll get around to having it testing. First with just a drop of acid on the inside surface. If that comes out negative then I'll know if or if not it be silver. If it does test silver positive with only a drop on the surface, then it will go further by finding a good place to scratch a deep spot beyond the surface and drop the acid there to see if it then is silver plated.

 

[tamrock]

Nice starting price.

I do think this little bit of info in this picture does maybe narrow down where it was made. Also the example in the lower right has that same type of star at the top of the coat of arms I'm calling it as mine does. It also is listed as being Greek.

 

[Mackaydon]

It could have been made in Greece.
"For nearly 400 years after 1453, when the Ottoman Turks invaded Constantinople, finishing off the Byzantine Empire, Greece was among the countries that languished under their regime. Ottoman repressions finally led to the Greek war of independence in 1821, resulting, after nine years, in a hard-won Greek victory."
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/30/arts/design/under-the-ottomans-greece-at-work.html#:~:text=For nearly 400 years after,a hard-won Greek victory.
Don in SoCal

 

[tamrock]

It could have been made in Greece.
"For nearly 400 years after 1453, when the Ottoman Turks invaded Constantinople, finishing off the Byzantine Empire, Greece was among the countries that languished under their regime. Ottoman repressions finally led to the Greek war of independence in 1821, resulting, after nine years, in a hard-won Greek victory."
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/30/arts/design/under-the-ottomans-greece-at-work.html#:~:text=For nearly 400 years after,a hard-won Greek victory.
Don in SoCal

Thanks Don.

 

[Rhapsody]

This I picked up today for $8.71. When I got to my truck the 1st thing I googled was Turkish Cigarette Case and a couple similar examples came up. One reference I searched was the Turkish Ottoman Army insignia which lead me to the house of Osman, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_dynasty which does look like what's on this case, but not exactly. I'm not 100% sure it's silver though, but maybe the alloy know as German Silver. It's decorated with what's known as neillo.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niello , Inside there is a stamped mark done twice of XP.XAP, and I'm thinking is a makers mark.

You got a good eye Tamrock, keep on rocking in the free world

 

[tamrock]

I've done a bit of cleaning of old surface oxidation and grungy build up to reveal more of the details. It's a marvelous thift store find. I'm not sure if the 8 point star that replaced the Ottoman tughra doesn't have some meaning to it. I have found that at one time in the past the Turkish flag did have an 8 point star, whereas today the star has 5 points. The other thing I found was an old drawn image of a flag that is said to be a Turkish Merchants flag and also a flag of the Ottoman-Greeks. Still some things to wonder about this item. Like what is the meaning of the inscription on the opposite side of the Ottoman looking coat of arms. Is it a name inscribed or does it say something else?. I sure can't read it.