Featured Celluloid/silver stag letter opener ID?

I have this hallmarked, celluloid & sterling silver letter opener - the hallmarks have me stumped. It's 25cm long, 2.5cm wide, the handle is 10cm long.

One says 900 which is 900th sterling, (I thought it read 800 but with a 50x loupe it definitely says 900) but the second mark says 875 which also means sterling, and I cannot ID the blob next to it - is it a dog's head, a crowned head?

I've tried researching and found this identical horse version that looks like the same maker, but they haven't detailed who it is or what the hallmark is.

 

Wolfrott, that is lovely!

One (mark) says 900 which is 900th sterling, (I thought it read 800 but with a 50x loupe it definitely says 900) but the second mark says 875 which also means sterling.

Actually, neither the 900 nor the 875 mark indicates sterling. Sterling is 925, which means 925/1000 parts silver. 900 is 900/1000 parts silver, and 875 is 875/1000 parts silver.

I'm wondering if the stag portion is one grade of silver, and the ring around the piece where it meets the blade is another grade of silver. That's the only thing I can think of that would fit the 2 different marks.

(I saw that the horse one you linked to is 830 silver - yet another grade!)

All I can say is that I think they're both quite special, and I wouldn't mind having either one of them!

 

maybe a page cutter.....nice ivory..

 

That 875 mark resembles one we recently discussed but it will take a bit of sleuthing to find the thread.

@Any Jewelry provided excellent input on that one. I hope she will look in here.

 

Found the thread I remembered, but in that case the 875 had the extra figure following it and not in front of the numbers. But we could very well be looking at a similar part of Europe - 875 was used in Russia, Poland, the Baltic states, Finland, etc. Was also used in Switzerland (which would certainly make some sense given the style and subject matter of the handle.

Having the 900 on there as well may mean that the item was imported to another country and assayed again in that process. Hard to say with no other markings.

 

Are you sure it's celluloid and not ivory? It's gorgeous. I'm stumped by that writing or image on the blade.

 

I as well, but it appears to be a monogram in the style of the 1920s/30s, though it could have been added at anytime during the its lifetime........................wonderful piece

I also think that Wolfrott is aware of the "celluloid" but is being diplomatic......................

 

I was wondering about the 875 mark too.
It looks like there are a hand and a single tower in front of it. Tower marks were used all over Europe, hands and gloves mostly in France. But the hand looks like a left hand, which is unusual to say the least. Left hands were considered to be unlucky.
Maybe I'm just seeing it wrong?

 

It looks like faux ivory, celluloid, like Wolfrott said. It doesn't have Schreger cross-hatching on the curved edges.

 

No useful input here; just wanted to say it's lovely!

 

you're likely right....it was late and i saw what i wanted to see.

 

That is usually more beautiful, the best way to enjoy life.

 

That's more than I could see - I saw VA. Now that I've looked again, and with the power of your suggestion, I can understand why you saw a hand and a tower. But I see a right hand in a mitten - with the thumb standing away from the rest. A great Rohrshack test!

Since France never (?) used the 875 standard (or did they?) I still don't have a clue what that means.

 

I see a J, an L, a C or else letters from a totally different alphabet.

 

What about the numbers? Are those marked on with ink or are they also carved?

 

There could be a group of psychologists out there who are using us for their experiments, using Rohrschach-like fake marks.

 

Do you mean in the celluloid?

The numbers seem to be in ink, 10 VI 1928. June 10th 1928.

 

Elven runes

 

If someone wrote the date in ink, it must have some special connotation

 

It must have, probably personal.
The only world event I know of on that date, is that Kingsford-Smith landed the Southern Cross in Sydney, Australia, after the first Trans-Pacific flight.