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unidentified silver marks

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 1:56 pm
by sandief
I have four silver open salts, but can't find out what the two marks are on them. One is in a diamond with two letters, the other when enlarged looks like a dragon and a rabbit ( or hare).
09082010132.jpg

Re: unidentified silver marks

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:55 pm
by Margaux
Louis Legrand
Symbol: un croissant et un étau entre deux étoiles
17 novembre 1905
16 janvier 1928
Paris, 50 rue Charlot

Re: unidentified silver marks

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:13 pm
by sandief
Thank you very much. Would the other mark, dragon and rabbit be the town mark, where it was made?

Re: unidentified silver marks

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:47 pm
by Margaux
I only saw one hallmark in one (to big) picture with the losange/the silversmith´s mark.
The only other mark there shoud be is a minervahead (or sometimes a mercury head for exported silverware). Small articles can carry a boarshead or a mark with a crab instead of a minerva. (On the salts I own there always is a minervahead).
In the period 1905 - 1925 there were no marks for towns/regions in use no more. (That practice ended in 1938)

Re: unidentified silver marks

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 5:41 pm
by sandief
This is the other mark, sorry if it comes out too big

Re: unidentified silver marks

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:35 pm
by silverport
»Minerva« head - one of the until yet actual French fineness marks.

Hello sandief

As already »Margaux« has mentioned in his last post - the other mark is the, from you wrong interpreted, French »Minerva« fineness mark.

Be attend; but it's very simple:

»Minerva« head to the right, in an octogon cartouche = 950-1,000 fineness.

»Minerva« head to the right, in a barrel cartouche = 800-1,000 fineness.

Please look here (top right corner: »Minerva«): http://www.925-1000.com/Ffrench_marks.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Kind regards silverport

Re: unidentified silver marks

Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:23 am
by sandief
Thank you for your help. When i first looked at the mark, I did see it as a head, it was only when I enlarged it, thought it was a dragon!
Is there a website I can find out more about Louis Legrand? I looked on Google and found him as an artist, no mention of silverwork. Is this the same Louis Legrand?

Regards Sandie

Re: unidentified silver marks

Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:41 am
by Margaux
I have little additional info on this silversmith to give.

I found his marks in the register of the french ministère de la culture: http://www.culture.gouv.fr

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistr ... 50&DOM=All

There is a clear picture of the makersmark which exactly matches yours in this site