Whiff box import from Germany

[Theoderich]

Member silverfan has sent me photos asking me to post them in the forum because since months he is not able to post himself. He sent three mails (7th August, 19th June, 9th June 2020) to the admins (Ag9251000@aol.com) but got no answer inspite of nearly 20 years of membership.

The whiff box was produced by Louis Kuppenheim, famous silversmith in Pforzheim (Germany) and exported to Russia between 1899 and 1908 as shown by the kokoshnik import mark. Most of the imported German silver entered Russia over Riga and got the import mark with cyrillc 3 for assaymaster Kliment Zagajevskij. Here however there is a B. Who is the assaymaster? Perhaps the item was exported to the polish part of the russian empire. Was there an assay office e.g in Warzawa? Member silverfan would be very pleased to get an answer from the admins and other members.
Regards Theoderich

[Qrt.S]

Yes, Riga and St.Petersburg are often seen as import cities. Both are excluded. The import city is more more seldom seen Moscow. When we only have one letter B (Latin V), we have three possibilities to pick from:
1. Rudolf Würst 1891-1894
2. Aleksey Vasiliyev 1891-1898
3. Nikolay Viner 1897

Impossible to say which one, I would guess Würst, but ...???

[Qrt.S]

Found one more assayer, but I don't think it him, Andrzei Wyrzykov in Warsaw 1904-1910. Warsaw was not an import city.

[dognose]

Hi Theoderich,

Please PM me with any problems silverfan may have and I do my best to sort them out. I've heard nothing from him.

Trev.

[Ubaranda]

Hello!
The mark "B" belongs to Alexander Kazimirovich Vyrzhikovsky (Александр Казимирович Выржиковский). He was the head of the assay office in Kiev in 1882 - April 1904 and in Warsaw in April 1904 - 1915.
Import operations were certainly carried out both in Kiev and in Warsaw.
Regards.

[Theoderich]

Hello!
The mark "B" belongs to Alexander Kazimirovich Vyrzhikovsky (Александр Казимирович Выржиковский). He was the head of the assay office in Kiev in 1882 - April 1904 and in Warsaw in April 1904 - 1915.
Import operations were certainly carried out both in Kiev and in Warsaw.
Regards.

Very nice,
I thank You Ubaranda and Qrt.S

[Qrt.S]

@ Ubaranda

Andrzei Wyrzykov and Alexander Vyrzhikovsky are one and the same person. But mind my asking, what makes you so sure it is him? Nothing indicates that except the letter B. It could belong to any of the mentioned assayers? Yes import happened in Warsaw and some other places too, but not to not to a particularly large extent. Riga and St. Petersburg were big import towns and good third Moscow.

[Ubaranda]

@ Ubaranda

Andrzei Wyrzykov and Alexander Vyrzhikovsky are one and the same person. But mind my asking, what makes you so sure it is him? Nothing indicates that except the letter B. It could belong to any of the mentioned assayers?

Hi Qrt.S!
As you know the mark in question was used in 1899-1908. The letter on the mark is the initial of the head of the assay office. At that time in Russia there was only one head of the assay office with the initial "B" - Vyrzhikovsky (Выржиковский).

[Qrt.S]

@Ubaranda

Unfortunately you are not answering my question i.e. How do you know that the only assayer who used B was Vyrzhikovsky and no other of the three mentioned assayers? It is quite possible that you are right, but I would like to know on what basis you excluded the others?

[Aguest]

Is it because Louis Kuppenheim started operations in 1899, so you would have to exclude dates before 1899? ::::

[Qrt.S]

@Aguest

Yes of course, how stupid of me, ....I'm too old for this .... ;-)))
Sorry Ubaranda, I finally understand. You are absolutely right!

[silverfan]

Thanks to dognose I am able again to post in the forum!!
@Qrt.S and Ubaranda:
Thanks to you both. I think B is the assayer in Warsaw. Though Kuppenheim opened the shop under his name already 1857 (not 1899), I exclude the other assayers because I found an inscription inside which mentions the "Gouvernement Warschau 1916". Therefore my suspicion "polish part of the russian empire". The Gouvernement Warschau was the part of Congress-Poland occupied by the German forces during WW I, the southern part was occupied by Austro-Hungary.
Regards silverfan