silver boxes

[reisbird]

i have two silver boxes, cigar size 6x4x2, with indian motiffs. The makers marks are not easy to read, maybe somethng like" ya,s or d,maybe e,maybe t,?, sai,m or n.http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 84a6200115
Does anyone know this maker?

[dognose]

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

I read that as 'Made in Siam'

Trev.

[oel]

Hello Reisbird,

Welcome to the forum.
I read Sterling ......Siam. In 1939 Siam has been renamed Thailand. Again renamed Siam in 1945 to May 1949, after which again renamed Thailand. Sterling is 92.5% pure silver.

Regards,

Oel

[reisbird]

thanks to both of you and so the boxes were most likely made before 1930?

[agphile]

I don't think the Siam mark was dsiscontinued. I have some small items bought by family members in the 1950s with similar decoration. They are marked SIAM and SILVER in one case and MADE IN SIAM in the other and I am sure I recall seeing Siamese silver still marked as such in the 1960s, but I'm afraid can't say when the marking would have changed.

[reisbird]

thanks, so there is no way to tell how old the boxes are?

[agphile]

First, an apology. My memory was wrong about the 1960s. I have turned up another family piece that I know was bought new in 1965. It is marked 925 (i.e. strerling standard) and THAILAND. I have also checked further and established that the items marked SIAM were bought in 1950 or 1951, not so long after the country's name change when a time lag in changing marking practice would not be surprising (or a delay between making the items and their sale to a customer in another country).

Your boxes are the sort of thing that is made for export or the tourist trade and the use of the term "made in .." places them in the 20th century and probably after WW1. It seems to me you cannot get much further than saying they were probably made somewhere between c.1920 and c.1950 but probably not in the 1939 -45 period when WW2 would have limited the scope for tourism or luxury exports, quite apart from the temporary adoption of Thailand as the country's name during that period as well.