Featured .800 Silver German mark ID miniature epergnes

Hiya all,

I hope your Thanksgiving was blessed.
I looked for this mark to no avail
Can anyone recognize this hallmark?
3.75" tall

Thank you, Steve

 

Similar came up before? Not sure if the wheel mark is the same, anyway it is German.
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/help-with-german-800-silver-mark.65952/

 

The wheel is different

 

Yes, I couldn’t find anything closer. Pretty pieces.

 

It is the city mark of Mainz.

 

City marks went out of use when the crescent & crown 'reichsmark' came into use in 1886. Feel sure they're partially struck marks of Martin Mayer of Mainz, missing a Star of David or a 6-pointed star (have even seen an odd 5-pointed star) to the right of the wheel, even the 'crown' is their typical form (German makers stamped the reichsmark, so they differed widely).




~Cheryl

 

Is the '800' to be understood as fine silver? The mold line, and what appears to be base metal showing through the worn high points are confusing to me, if so.

 

Depends on where you are.
And there is a difference between the legal understanding of fine silver, and the cultural one.

In the Dutch antiques trade it is accepted as silver, as long as the fineness is stated. It is also called BWG silver, short for 'beneden wettelijk gehalte', meaning 'below legal fineness'.

There shouldn't be any base metal, and frankly I don't see it. It should be .800 fineness all the way through.
I think you are seeing polish residue, those whitish bits in the indentations.

 

The '800' indicates it is 800/1000 silver, the crescent & crown guarantees that it is at least .800 fineness.

I'm viewing this on a high-resolution laptop screen, and see no indication of wear-through to base metal, but the tarnish is rubbed on the high points - and should be noted that silver is often cast, as well as die-struck, along with being hand-worked...

~Cheryl