Fork(1865) with Cross of St. Maurice and British hallmarks

[naina1st]

Dear members,
I have been searching forum to identify some extra marks on the fork by G.W. Adams hallmarked in London in 1865. They are exactly the cross of St. Maurice & Lazarus and dolphin in circle. I am happy enough to find that those marks were in use in the Kingdom of Piedmont & Sardinia in 1824-1872 (thanks to my favorite blakstone!)

Technically, the cross here is called the cross of Saints Maurice & Lazarus and is the symbol of an order of chivalry created by the House of Savoy. Dognose is correct: it was used 1824-1873 in the Kingdom Piedmont & Sardinia as the mark for large items of second standard (.800) silver. (Other Italian territories began to use this mark as they joined the kingdom during the Risorgimento).

Dolphin in a circle was Genoa mark in the same period (thanks to admin!).
Meanwhile I do feel some uncertainty...

1. Use of the Cross St. Maurice for 2nd standard (.800)? What was the 1st standard and mark?
My fork is made in England (Ag925) and has been imported to Italy and stamped with domestic hallmark for Ag800(?).
2. Why there is also Genoa mark? What exactly this mark mean? Recognition mark? Import mark?

Thanks to everybody for comments, if any.
naina1st

[blakstone]

1. Use of the Cross St. Maurice for 2nd standard (.800)? What was the 1st standard and mark? My fork is made in England (Ag925) and has been imported to Italy and stamped with domestic hallmark for Ag800(?).

The first standard was .950, and the mark was an eagle displayed, crowned and charged on the breast with the cross of Savoy. (For large articles, that is; for small items, the mark was a lion's head in profile, facing right for 1st standard and left for 2nd standard.) Thus, an English .925 sterling piece would not have met the Piedmontese 1st standard of .950 and would have been more appropriately marked with the 2nd standard mark of .800. However, Piedmont-Sardinia did have a mark for imported items: "EST" in script, conjoined (for "estero" = "foreign"). Why this mark was not used instead I cannot say.

2. Why there is also Genoa mark? What exactly this mark mean? Recognition mark? Import mark?

The standard mark was used throughout the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, but each city had its own territorial assay office mark, e.g.: a bull's head for Turin, a dolphin for Genoa, a crescent moon for Cuneo, a horse's head for Novara, etc. (Just as the sterling lion passant was used throughout England, but each city had its own symbol: the London leopard's head, the Birmingham anchor, the Sheffield crown, etc.)

Great spoon! I love items with an unusual assortment of marks. (And thanks for the kind words.)

[naina1st]

Dear blakstone,

Many many thanks for your detailed explanations!
May I ask you to give me the reference to the book?

Let me try your encyclopedic knowledge for the further details about that unusual fork to figure out the mono with motto as shown below.



1. Are you in possession to write out the mono?
2. the motto "spero atque ago" I would translate from Latin as "I hope and go along herein"...
Being poor in Latin and English sayings I hope to get an expert advice.

Kind Regads.
naina1st

[Granmaa]

The monogram looks like AW to me.
I would translate the motto as "I hope and act".

Miles

[naina1st]

Dear granmaa,

Thank you so much for your feedback. The translation of the motto is elegant!

In the meantime I have my doubts concerning your mono deciphering.
I agree the central letter is W. If the rest is letter A, it looks ugly, meanwhile there is no complete horizontal line but few unnecessary elements on the periphery.
I guess there are 3 letters in mono: the left seems to me F, then W in the center, the right one? K, T, X?

Will appreciate further comments .

Thank you once more.
naina1st

[JLDoggett]

The cypher is a W and an H. Notice how the uprights of the H on either side of the W mirror each other with the cross-member is broken to show it interweaves and goes behind the W.

[naina1st]

Thanks a lot to everybody who contributed this ID.

I would like to express my gratitude to the administration of the forum that seems to be the most powerful source of knowledge and help on internet.

Best Regards.
naina1st