www.925-1000.com

Can anyone identify country of origin of this pin cushion?



It has Chester 1909 import marks on the side:



but does anyone recognise the marks on the sole of the shoe? I know they're rubbed but there is perhaps sufficient detail to identify the mark to the right of the 930 mark.



Regards/carling

Your pincushion is German; these are once again pseudo-marks from Hanau. The marks here are badly worn, and I don't like attributing Hanau pieces based on one legible mark (the fleur-de-lys), but I'm pretty sure that it's by Friedrich Reusswig, founded 1903 and continued by his heirs (he died in 1909) until at least 1929. The fleur-de-lys is certainly identical to one used by Reusswig, and I have seen near identical pincushions by this firm (although other firms in Hanau made these novelty shoe pincushions). Oh, by the way, I think the fineness is .830, much more common in Germany than .930, and much more suitable for a utilitarian item such as this.

Hi, If it was 830 standard, would it not have been detected at the Chester assay?
Regards Trev.

Many thanks for your reply, blakstone. Very helpful. Appreciated.

With regard to your comment, Trev, I am undecided whether it is 930 or 830. Although I appreciate that the 830 standard was more common in Germany I plumped for 930 because of the subsequent Chester marks. If it is 830 this does indeed present a dilemma.

Regards/carling

I'm sure you're right about the Chester office; UK assayers were pretty meticulous. I guess I was concentratig on the German marks and didn't consider the English ones.

Mea Culpa!