Help needed to identify 19th C. Austrian silver makers mark

[forio]

Hello,

My name is Nikifor. I have two marks on a 19th C. silver book cover decoration. With the help of this website and other resources I could identify one of them, which (if I am not wrong) is from Vienna, has the year 1813 and shows the purity of the silver which is 13 lot. I couldn't find any information about the second mark, which has the letters A, T, F. I am guessing it is a makers mark but really have no idea. Could someone help identifying it? If you know something about this mark, could you please include the source of your information as well. Thank you very much!

Here are the images:





Best regards,
Nikifor

[Bahner]

Hello, that is a taxmark which was used between 1810 and 1824. It has been widely publicized in the books on Austrian silver. Best wishes, Bahner

[forio]

Hi,
Thank you very much for the quick responce! Could you please provide me with some more information about the taxmarks, or be more specific about a book or other resource that I can consult.

What is the purpose of the taxmark and what does it indicate? What the letters A, T and F mean? Was this taxmark used only in the Austrian empire? Did all silver objects have a taxmark? Does it's use have something to do with a possible export of the item.

I am sorry, these questions may sound quite stupid but my field is completely different and I have absolutely no idea where I should look for information of this kind.

Appreciate your help!

Best wishes,
Nikifor

[Bahner]

Hello, a thorough answer is beyond my time frame for this forum, I'm afraid. The Austrian tax mark was introduced to pay for the fines Napoleon had levied upon countries that lost battles against him, Austria being one of those countries. The letter A is for the city of Vienna, TF is for "Taxe frei" (if I remeber correctly), stating that tax has been paid for this specific item. Different countries used different tax marks - if they had tax marks at all. Best wishes, Bahner

[forio]

This is enough information for my needs so far. Thank you very, very much for your time and help!!!

Best wishes,
Nikifor