Sterling Find & Unknown Asian Silver

tamrock

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These silver shakers made by Revere Silversmiths were $3.99ea. and I feel that it was luck my eye caught this bunded together small pitcher and little sake cup set. Each piece is marked with two Asian marks for $6.99 all together. I'm thinking they're Japanese and feel that each piece is a pure silver of some unknown grade. If you see this Red Coat maybe you'll have an idea as to their origin and possibly what these marks translate?? This was all bought for just under $25.00 and none of these pieces are weight filled.
 

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JamieD

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Hopefully you’ll get more details from other members including the meaning of the marks but in the meantime here’s a very similar set with some info and a sold price.

 

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tamrock

tamrock

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Hopefully you’ll get more details from other members including the meaning of the marks but in the meantime here’s a very similar set with some info and a sold price.

Thank you JamieD. I was thinking this was at one time a boxed set. I'm not sure the term Vermeil was the correct term for the gold wash on the inside of the cups. It's a small set and the cups aren't much bigger round than a silver dollar. I'd say that auctioned is like spot on to what I have and seeing it sold for over $700. usd makes is all the better. I'm thinking it might really be something.
 

Red-Coat

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Good scores at a bargain price, Tamrock.

The sake jug mark you’re showing is a slightly stylised Japanese ‘jungin’ (chĂșnyĂ­n) 箔銀 mark that literally translates as ‘pure silver’. Generally, these marks don’t always mean ‘pure’ in the sense of 1,000 fine silver unalloyed with copper, but the silver will be at least 900 fine and often 925 Sterling or thereabouts.

That style of mark was used principally in the Meiji era (1868-1912) and so sellers always make that dating claim. However, the mark continued to be used into the Taisho era (1912-1926) and very occasionally into the Showa era until about 1928 when an Ordinance required the use of decimal standard marks to precisely indicate the purity of the silver. Without a reign mark, there’s no easy way to tell.

The same or similar styles of mark were also used in Korea after it was annexed by Japan in 1910 through until 1945 (and generally without any purity indication for the silver) but there were almost no luxury silver pieces made in the Japanese Empire for its populace after 1938 when the Empire put its economy on a war footing. Again, no easy way to tell Korean items from Japanese ones, but I would expect your jug to be Japanese.

The jug is in the spirit of ‘wabi-sabi’ (äŸ˜ćŻ‚) which is a Japanese tradition for the appreciation of beauty which is ‘imperfect’ or ‘impermanent’. So, the jug would have been deliberately tarnished before leaving the workshop and you therefore shouldn’t be tempted to polish it in any way. If the sake cups were sold with it as a set, I would expect them to be similarly tarnished
 unless someone has polished them up without having an understanding of Japanese aesthetics.

“Vermeil silver” refers to silver which has been gilded by gold-plating
 also known as “silver-gilt”. Often (and especially for functional items that weren’t simply decorative) only the interior was gilded since it’s usually less subject to wear.
 

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tamrock

tamrock

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Good scores at a bargain price, Tamrock.

The sake jug mark you’re showing is a slightly sytlised Japanese ‘jungin’ (chĂșnyĂ­n) 箔銀 mark that literally translates as ‘pure silver’. Generally, these marks don’t always mean ‘pure’ in the sense of 1,000 fine silver unalloyed with copper, but the silver will be at least 900 fine and often 925 Sterling or thereabouts.

That style of mark was used principally in the Meiji era (1868-1912) and so sellers always make that dating claim. However, the mark continued to be used into the Taisho era (1912-1926) and very occasionally into the Showa era until about 1928 when an Ordinance required the use of decimal standard marks to precisely indicate the purity of the silver. Without a reign mark, there’s no easy way to tell.

The same or similar styles of mark were also used in Korea after it was annexed by Japan in 1910 through until 1945 (and generally without any purity indication for the silver) but there were almost no luxury silver pieces made in the Japanese Empire for its populace after 1938 when the Empire put its economy on a war footing. Again, no easy way to tell Korean items from Japanese ones, but I would expect your jug to be Japanese.

The jug is in the spirit of ‘wabi-sabi’ (äŸ˜ćŻ‚) which is a Japanese tradition for the appreciation of beauty which is ‘imperfect’ or ‘impermanent’. So, the jug would have been deliberately tarnished before leaving the workshop and you therefore shouldn’t be tempted to polish it in any way. If the sake cups were sold with it as a set, I would expect them to be similarly tarnished
 unless someone has polished them up without having an understanding of Japanese aesthetics.

“Vermeil silver” refers to silver which has been gilded by gold-plating
 also known as “silver-gilt”. Often (and especially for functional items that weren’t simply decorative) only the interior was gilded since it’s usually less subject to wear.
Thank you Red-Coat and I'm glad you've warn me not to polish the jug, but I believe the cups have been previously cleaned as I see remnants of polishing paste on them. As for the Revere pieces those will be shiny once again.
 

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tamrock

tamrock

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Really nice score tamrock,and a good eye!
Thanks! bandicoot, I didn't see the sake set until I made a 2nd pass scanning the aisle I spotted it. The way they had it all tapped up and laying on its side just didn't leave it all that noticeable. I am glad they did decide to keep it all together. I really like it.
 

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tamrock

tamrock

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Before and After on the shakers. They're pretty fine pieces of silver and each weighs between 83 & 84 grams. Takes a bit of effort in getting them looking beautiful again.
 

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