Question about a German silver Hallmark

The first letter seems like a crowned R.
Is this hall mark "Friedrich Reusswig" or "Georg Roth" or an "unidentified Crown R' ?
I have no idea about it. BTW, is it a 800 silver? It didn't mark 800 but there's a zigzag line across in the middle which could be a sign of the late 19th century.

Thanks

 

But I think it should be a Hanau silverware

 

Zigzag is usually the result of the assay process. Material is scraped from the object and tested for silver alloy fineness. Without a fineness number on the object or a fineness "mark" (in modern Germany the crescent moon and crown) we cannot know what it is - 800 or otherwise.

FYI, Hanau is part of Germany.

 

So it is hard to determine whether it is 800 silver or silver plate if it doesn't bear silver fineness mark? Thank you

 

The one way to determine whether solid of some fineness or plated is to have it tested. I do not recommend trying to do it yourself.

 

as Hanau silver never was marked properly, it was always tested when a dealer or customs officer didn't know the maker. so the zigzag line or Tremolierstrich is - by some - collectors taken as proof that it is silver, because otherwise the marks would have been destroyed to prevent further betrayal.

 

For much of the 18th and 19th centuries, German silver (and Austrian silver, and a few other countries in that region) all used a LOTH system for hallmarking. Basically, silver was graded according to a system of...I believe 16 loths (lots).

Highest was 16, lowest was...10, I believe. To find out the purity of the silver, you looked for a two-digit number stamped into the hallmarks. Depending on the grade, this was typically anywhere between 12-15, although like I said, it went as low as 10 and as high as 16 (although I've never seen pieces marked that low or high). Anything above, I think it was 12 loth, was at least 800 silver.

This system was finally abolished in the...1880s I think it was, when milessimal fineness marks (800, 830, 850, 925 etc) officially replaced them.

 

Thank you all for your information.

 

that's all interesting, but has nothing to do with Hanau. the city of Hanau was divided into two parts and the newer part was given to Calvinist refugees from France, Holland etc., among these many silversmiths. for the then ruler it was acceptable - taxes !!! - that these silversmiths disregarded the official German marking system, mainly because catholic countries like France didn't allow import from Proddies. so they used slightly altered marks like the Augsburg mark to appear of "good" catholic making...
in the end it was a clandestine network of Calvinist dealers that exported all over Europe.

 

@Fid Woot. Great knowledge. Thank you very much for your information.

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread with pointless knowledge, I guess.

 

you don't have to excuse for anything, your infos are correct but Hanau is really a very unique case.
and as you are underage you must have a miserable life anyways in Australia - not allowed to have a beer...
PS: I once worked at Boyne Smelter, wonderful country .

 

Only underage in the sense that I'm below the average age of most antiques dealers and collectors.

 

No, Shangas. I am very appreciate your help and information. You are always so kind and helped me a lot with knowledge about sterling silverwares. 95% persons on this website know much more knowledge about silverware than me. I really appreciate helps from all of you.