A couple mystery marks today

[clorox]

Ran across a few items with mystery marks today. First up is a souvenir demitasse spoon with the coat of arms for Cote d'Azur:


No other markings on it, but it does feel like it's sterling.

Next is a single screw earring marked A . SILVER. The machining and quality seem good, which is a good sign, but the lack of more specific markings is not good.



Then we have a stick pin marked simply G.F. I can't recall anything gold-filled not having the fineness and fraction marked, is there a standard these are assumed to be?


And then this possibly gold-filled pin with the smallest marking I've ever seen. Even markings on earring posts are usually more clear than this. I don't even know if it's the right way up in the picture!



Picked up a few other goodies, like a few sterling and coral pieces, a much better marked GF stick pin, a pair of Raimond crystal salt and pepper shakers with sterling caps (some chips on the bases unfortunately), and a really nice pair of lapis lazuli ball stud earrings on 14k posts which my mom loved as her birthday gift! Also got some Laserdiscs, but I didn't notice the smell of cigarettes until I got them home. I really like the hard hats now, I found another old fiberglass one which I believe to have been used at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard. Two games today: A 1940's Rummoli game which seems to be a Canadian thing, and this, which almost doesn't exist according to the internet:

 

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[clorox]

Any ideas on the markings? I really need to get myself a tester...

Also just got around to researching a couple of my other finds: A Staedtler Mars Lumograph 1018 leadholder and a Venus 043 leadholder. The Venus was a nice surprise, but the Staedtler made my jaw drop!

 

[okie jack]

It looks like sterling. What makes me say that is how it is stamped . I would have bought it . Some of the older gold filled stuff does not have a % mark and I think some from other country's may not have it. But to be marked gold filled it has to be 1/25

 

[clorox]

Thanks okie jack! 1/25 is better than 0/25! Hopefully it's 14k, but based on how cheaply made it looks, we're probably looking at more like 10k or lower.

And I have another mystery mark for you folks today! Found a California Golden Bears pin marked "10k Front." Anyone have any idea what that means?

 

[randazzo1]

Thanks okie jack! 1/25 is better than 0/25! Hopefully it's 14k, but based on how cheaply made it looks, we're probably looking at more like 10k or lower.

And I have another mystery mark for you folks today! Found a California Golden Bears pin marked "10k Front." Anyone have any idea what that means?

CLOROX - Awesome Finds. I wish I could head out from work right now and hit the Friday Sales!

On the spoon - likely a French silver hallmark (given that it's a cote d'azur souvenir spoon) - try to compare here French Hallmarks - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks for a matching puirity mark.

On the earring - You see that "SIlver" mark on older pieces - especially Asian (double especially Chinese) older export silver pieces. Probably at least .900

On the little marking -- I've never seen one that small either

On the 10K Front ----- You see this all the time on fraternal pins and other small lapel type pins along with "10K Top" -- the front of the pin is actually solid 10K gold -- the pin portion is usually base metal that is plated. I've tested dozens of them. The "10 K top" ones almost always test 10K front and back and just the pin mechanism / post itself is junk. The 10K Front ones are sometimes a 10K cap clad to a base metal back. I'd order a $25.00 test kit off amazon based on the number of finds you are turning up. Again - awesome finds. Very jealous I'm sitting at my desk.

 

[clorox]

Thanks! Sometimes I wish I was stuck in work, though -- I miss regular paychecks

Didn't see a match on that website. More than anything the mark on the spoon looks like the 82nd Airborne All-American logo. Don't think that's what is actually is though!

Thanks for the info on the earring. Wish I had it's mate, it's a nice little thing that would certainly do better as jewelry than as a one-dollar piece of silver.

Did really good yesterday. A good amount of assorted sterling chains and pins and earrings, including a Mickey Mouse tie pin, a nice little ceramic heart-shaped pendant painted with a windmill in a sterling setting, a pendant of Jesus crucified on a ship's wheel and anchor (not as tacky as it sounds), a hefty pendant with a big blue stone (rather dull, unfortunately), and a couple bracelets. Also got a couple service pins: One is a sterling California Cotton Mills pin, and the other is a 10k Hughes Aircraft pin! AND I got a 14k necklace! AND I got two pairs of gold-filled glasses! AND I got a Gorham sterling baby cup!

The glasses have the normal GF marks on the arms, but one of them has a different mark on the bridge: "10k CTR". And ideas? I'll put the pics up in a minute.

 

[clorox]

Here's the 10-year Hughes Aircraft Company 10k service pin:



The Golden Bears pin from Thursday:



The Gorham sterling baby cup. It also has an engraving of "Warren 8-11-'15". Any ideas on the date? Should I polish it up before selling, or sell it as-is?



The miscellaneous sterling items:



And the miscellaneous gold filled items, with a close-up of the "10k CTR" mark:

 

[randazzo1]

That is really interesting. I did not realize that 10K or 10K G.F. frames came in that style. I've been ignoring anything that wasn't the old wire frames (like Ben Franklin style). Got to keep my out for these types of glasses. The 10K CTR is also really interesting. I wonder is that means 10K Center. It would make sens that the piece that touched your face would be solid gold. Does anyone know what the CTR means?

 

[clorox]

Yeah, I've been keeping an eye out for any sort of glasses or glasses cases. One pair I found a few weeks back (at the awful estate sale) had aluminum arms and an aluminum trim over the GF rims.

I've found a few references online to "10k CTR" and they're all linked to Shuron frames, but no further information. I really need a test kit...

 

[hotrod]

cool