Beautiful tie clip from the field

[Oberlausitz]

My wife and baby gave me the evening off, so yesterday after work I spent another two hours in a village field. The best find was the very first clue: a pretty Art Nouveau tie clip in 900 silver. It's unusual for Germany that the crescent moon and crown hallmark is missing. 900 silver is also unusual; normally the silver here was 800 or 835. Perhaps it came from another European country; I couldn't identify the maker's mark. Have a nice Sunday, Johannes

 

[pepperj]

Congratulations on the .900 tie clip.
I found this information regarding the maker's mark.

Maker's Mark: The "U" with internal markings is characteristic of several Central European silversmiths. If it is an "Ib" or "9I" inside, it may be a specific workshop mark from Pforzheim, Germany, which was a major production center for Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) jewelry.

The absence of a national hallmark (like the German Crescent and Crown) often indicates:

1. Custom/Small Workshop Piece: Smaller artisans sometimes omitted official assay marks to save on fees, especially on small items like tie clips.
2. Export Item: Items intended for export were sometimes only stamped with the purity.
3. Pre-1888 German Origin: If German, it likely predates the mandatory national hallmarking law of 1888.

 

[Oberlausitz]

I think it's HB, and one of the curves of the B isn't properly defined. If so, the silversmith would be Behrnd Herrmann from Dresden, which would fit the find location (about 40 km away). He was active from 1870 onwards, and that would also match the style of the piece.

 

[Trezurehunter]

Neat find.

 

[oldmxrat]

That is a sweet find, congrats!

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

A great find !

 

[Digger RJ]

My wife and baby gave me the evening off, so yesterday after work I spent another two hours in a village field. The best find was the very first clue: a pretty Art Nouveau tie clip in 900 silver. It's unusual for Germany that the crescent moon and crown hallmark is missing. 900 silver is also unusual; normally the silver here was 800 or 835. Perhaps it came from another European country; I couldn't identify the maker's mark. Have a nice Sunday, Johannes

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!