Swedish Coin Silver(830) candlesticks $1.99 Thanks GW!

[giniro]

Picked these up today at the goodwill near me. I am so glad they don't understand foreign hallmarks.



Ok so research so far. I figured out that the signature is Lazlo Hukvist the company that made it is Mema/Gab which is apparently according to their website pretty high end stuff "As an indication of Gense’s and Mema/GAB’s superior design and quality, the company has been granted a Royal Warrant in Sweden." The L is the city code for "Lidkoeping".

The three crowns are the control stamp guaranteeing the quality of the metal. S means it's silver. Y10 is a year code indicating 1997. 830 is the assay mark for 830/1000 which we call coin silver. And again the 830 with scales is another assay mark I guess(matches with the marks with scales mentioned here Swedish Hallmarks on Silver and other Precious Metals)

Now, I'm relatively sure this is real but can't find any examples of it online. I checked ebay both foreign and domestic, a swedish auction site(tradera) and online retailers. I found the company and I found a current piece designed by this Lazlo Hukvist for sale on a UK site Mema/GAB 188 mm Ikaros Vase | AllModern.co.uk Retail for that current piece is £1,903.05 that's $3251.91 and I know not to expect that out of my candlesticks here as they are likely lighter and are old and less ornate and retail is insane anyway.

So basically I'm seeing stars and dollar signs here and had to share. Anyone have any input as to how I should try to get the most out of these? BIN/OBO start at $2000 and work my way down? Guess I would need to get these authenticated, unfortunately that might not be realistic what with the company being Swedish and all. Is this the kind of thing that would be counterfeited?

Also, should I polish them up before I list them? Lastly, does anyone know if there's a way for me to confirm the silver content without damaging them. I'd check the density but it appears the round portion near the base has plaster in it so that's out. Now I don't intend to scrap these but just FYI they weigh 216 grams together so they should be worth $100 minimum(don't know how much the plaster in there weighs).

 

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[giniro]

Well I decided to contact the company to see if they could help. Here is the email I sent them(modifications and notes in bold). We'll see if they respond.

Hello,
My name is [REDACTED], I live in the United States and I was hoping you might be able to help me identify some candlesticks I purchased secondhand that believe bear your companies mark. They have a signature of L. Hukvist and the company mark is Mema, the city mark Lidkoeping, with a silver purity mark of 830 and the year code Y10(1997). They measure about 178 mm tall with a flared lip where the candle goes with a rim to catch wax and a thin tubular shaft flaring out into a sphere before connecting to the circular base which bears the marks mentioned above. I'm having trouble tracking down an old catalogue for your company and was hoping someone could confirm that you made candlesticks matching this description at that time. If you can help me I can also attach pictures of the candlesticks in question.
I appreciate your time and consideration in this matter.
Tack själv,(Thank you in Swedish)
[REDACTED]

 

[vpnavy]

Nice buys. Thanks for sharing...

 

[diggummup]

Very nice. I would say you already have all the info you need on these. They are well marked and you've done the research. These are not something that would be faked (imho) as they are made by an obscure (be it high end) designer for the company. When you list them, focus on the "Mema/GAB" name as well as L. Hukvist. Confirmation is good but in this case I think it's unnecessary. I think your biggest problem will be finding the right price to list them for. Their stuff is very expensive. I'm sure those candlesticks had a $1000+ price tag on them when new.

 

[tamrock]

Indeed. .925 & Sterling is what the TS people know best to look for. I have found euro and other hallmarks in both the thrift stores and antique shops that were over looked. Great score and the info on the designer will only add to the value. Scandinavian silver has always had a great collector base. I like it just the same, and can recognize the style of many of the designers when I see them.