Hector Aguilar Sterling Bowls?

[ridave]

I came across these two large bowls at a local high end consignment shop, it came out of a pretty wealthy estate of an elderly lady who has passed that I actually know from around town. Her daughter consigned her entire estate and the consignment shop doesn't know much about silver. Both pieces are roughly 10 3/4" in diameter, pretty big pieces!

They are both signed as you can see in the pictures, not signed with regards to silver content, but they test as Sterling with acid. When I took a loupe to the marks I immediately saw what looks like a Hector Aguilar 'HA' mark, and in my opinion it has elements of his style in it as well, but I'd love some other educated opinions on this. So please comment away! Thanks in advance! David

[2209patrick]

Hello and welcome.

I don't believe that is a Hector Aguilar mark.
The mark you are reading as HA is actually a standard mark from Oporto Portugal for .833 fineness.
The other mark could be the maker's mark, but I can't help you there.

http://www.925-1000.com/foreign_marks.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;





Pat.

[blakstone]

Porto/Oporto is absolutely correct, and the smaller mark is the maker's mark. Portuguese makers' marks after 1887 can be notoriously difficult to read, but I do have a good reference for them if you can get a clear photo of it. It should consist of an initial (usually of the maker's first name) and a device, and the outline of the mark is very important.

[ridave]

Wow I'm a dope, I need to rotate the image next time before I post something! Thank you both very much for the information! I can't get a better shot of the makers mark, it's just way too small.