The French ET mark, what does "ET" stand for?
Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2024 12:09 pm
The French ET mark, what does "ET" stand for?
The hallmarks of the French 1st Republic 1798-1809 and the hallmarks of the French Empire 1809-1819 to the later French republics.The introduction of the various ET marks. Brief, but not complete, explanation of this hallmark; the French ET mark for gold and silver, the mark for foreign works, or with the hallmarks of the Ancien Regime, applied temporarily free of charge, later subject to payment of duties. Because of the fact that the foreign, and Ancien Regime alloys were not necessarily the same in the new regime of France and abroad, the mark did not give any guarantee with regard to the alloy. The introduction of the various ET marks;
19 June 1798 to 31 August 1809 - Head of Mercury facing forward flanked by the letters ET for large works and ET in monogram for small works. The earlier ET marks for a short period, were also used as a census mark in the 58 European towns occupied during the Napoleonic wars.
1 September 1809 to 15 August 1819- Crowned monogram ET for large works and Ampersand (symbol &) as an abbreviation for ET for small work.
A virtually square ET mark was introduced on 1 st June 1864.
A virtually square ET mark was introduced on 1 st June 1864 and was used by Paris and the departments, with no assay office mark for Paris. Then, on 24 October 1864, the rectangular ET was introduced for Paris.Then, on 24 October 1864, the rectangular ET was introduced for Paris.
ET in a rectangular frame.Here seen with the previous Ampersand &
ET in rectangle, It also is used as a warning mark that indicates the item, whether gold or silver, is below minimum French fineness standards. Indeed, the mark was used on second-hand French works that were below standard but considered to have enough artistic merit that they were spared from destruction. The ET hallmark was also employed in the event of selling low standard silver items at an estate auction. Upon presentation of a document signed by the auctioneer certifying that the buyer was indeed related to the family of the deceased, the assay office could consent to mark low standard works with the ET hallmark instead of destroying them.(The auctions are not necessarily organised by the heirs, they can be requested by creditors also, but in each case, if the buyer is related to the deceased, they can
demand that low standard items of sentimental interest are spared.)
I spoke with a senior French antique jeweller who explained to me;
Until a few years ago, auctioneers were allowed to sell non hallmarked items with the provision, subject to assay. The buyer was required to bring the item to the assay office.This was not however always enforced and a lot of stuff slipped through.
The logic was that it was silly to hallmark stuff when 95% or so was bought by dealers to be melted. Hallmarking was expensive and thus a waste of money. When I started dealing in France in 1989, it didn't cost much and was calculated per gram but at one point there was imposed a flat rate of €8 per item in gold and € 4 for silver.
In 2019 hallmarking became free of charge, and since then nothing can be sold at auction that isn't marked.
There was a period when precious metal items could be sold at auction that you knew were going to be destroyed by the assay office, but this wasn't a problem because in most cases the buyer would destroy it anyway to sell it for scrap metal. Some auction houses would send the item off for assaying after the sale unless you agreed that it was destroyed in front of you or you could prove it was for export. Scrap buyers would choose to have it destroyed. Another problem is very few assay offices are open today. It is complicated for some auction houses to get stuff hallmarked (they have to post it to the assay office and pay for return postage.) Some public seller's and auction houses describe on the internet that items are plated, but dealers know they are gold or silver and a decent price gets paid at auction.
Le Mont-de-Piété (the government pawnshop) would also have ET stamped on low title objects left with them. The customs law of 11 January 1892 required that all work henceforth comply with standard requirements; the importation and resale of works inferior to French standards was thus prohibited and the use of the ET hallmark for imports then ceased temporarily. The special commission charged in 1893 with preparing the overhaul of the assay laws considered cancelling the ET mark. According to them, "manufacturers make articles of low standard, deposit them at pawnshops, and thanks to the ET mark, they pass into the trade as if being of French legal standards". Due to misuse and unfamiliarity of the ET mark among the public, the ET mark was suspended in 1893. But, faced with protest from antique dealers and jewellers, its use resumed in 1903 for second-hand articles of low standard precious metal having an "art or curiosity interest" If the artistic interest of the work with a too low standard was recognized by the assay office, the work was spared from breakage, and the ET mark granted and applied.(Note : The ET mark was never used on Antique (as in Roman) articles. The circular of 12 September 1903 mentions their dispensation from hallmarking).
Since 4 January 1994 this hallmark is no longer employed for gold articles and only employed on silver articles of less than 800/1000. Almost square mark from 1 st June 1864 to date for departments (and Paris until 23 October 1864). Rectangular mark for Paris, from 24th October 1864 to date.
The letters "ET", in the books with information about French hallmarks published by Waarborg Holland, Netherlands' Responsibility marks from 1797 Part 1 and Hallmarks Research Institute, World Hallmark Volume I Europe, the letters "ET" stand for the French word Étranger. The ET mark comes from the first two letters of the French word for Foreign-Étranger.
In the newly published book; French Precious Metal Hallmarks from 1789 to date, by Michael Fieggen. The letters ET; stand for Exempté de Titre, exempted from standard. It is important to bear in mind that while this hallmark is indeed often referred to as the Étranger mark, the
ET mark is not based on the word Étranger, but on the words Exempté de Titre
Peter.
Sources; Waarborg Holland Gouda edition 2009. Hallmark Research Institute, World Hallmarks Volume 1 Europe. Michael Fieggen, French Precious Metal Hallmarks from 1789 to date.
The hallmarks of the French 1st Republic 1798-1809 and the hallmarks of the French Empire 1809-1819 to the later French republics.The introduction of the various ET marks. Brief, but not complete, explanation of this hallmark; the French ET mark for gold and silver, the mark for foreign works, or with the hallmarks of the Ancien Regime, applied temporarily free of charge, later subject to payment of duties. Because of the fact that the foreign, and Ancien Regime alloys were not necessarily the same in the new regime of France and abroad, the mark did not give any guarantee with regard to the alloy. The introduction of the various ET marks;
19 June 1798 to 31 August 1809 - Head of Mercury facing forward flanked by the letters ET for large works and ET in monogram for small works. The earlier ET marks for a short period, were also used as a census mark in the 58 European towns occupied during the Napoleonic wars.
1 September 1809 to 15 August 1819- Crowned monogram ET for large works and Ampersand (symbol &) as an abbreviation for ET for small work.
A virtually square ET mark was introduced on 1 st June 1864.
A virtually square ET mark was introduced on 1 st June 1864 and was used by Paris and the departments, with no assay office mark for Paris. Then, on 24 October 1864, the rectangular ET was introduced for Paris.Then, on 24 October 1864, the rectangular ET was introduced for Paris.
ET in a rectangular frame.Here seen with the previous Ampersand &
ET in rectangle, It also is used as a warning mark that indicates the item, whether gold or silver, is below minimum French fineness standards. Indeed, the mark was used on second-hand French works that were below standard but considered to have enough artistic merit that they were spared from destruction. The ET hallmark was also employed in the event of selling low standard silver items at an estate auction. Upon presentation of a document signed by the auctioneer certifying that the buyer was indeed related to the family of the deceased, the assay office could consent to mark low standard works with the ET hallmark instead of destroying them.(The auctions are not necessarily organised by the heirs, they can be requested by creditors also, but in each case, if the buyer is related to the deceased, they can
demand that low standard items of sentimental interest are spared.)
I spoke with a senior French antique jeweller who explained to me;
Until a few years ago, auctioneers were allowed to sell non hallmarked items with the provision, subject to assay. The buyer was required to bring the item to the assay office.This was not however always enforced and a lot of stuff slipped through.
The logic was that it was silly to hallmark stuff when 95% or so was bought by dealers to be melted. Hallmarking was expensive and thus a waste of money. When I started dealing in France in 1989, it didn't cost much and was calculated per gram but at one point there was imposed a flat rate of €8 per item in gold and € 4 for silver.
In 2019 hallmarking became free of charge, and since then nothing can be sold at auction that isn't marked.
There was a period when precious metal items could be sold at auction that you knew were going to be destroyed by the assay office, but this wasn't a problem because in most cases the buyer would destroy it anyway to sell it for scrap metal. Some auction houses would send the item off for assaying after the sale unless you agreed that it was destroyed in front of you or you could prove it was for export. Scrap buyers would choose to have it destroyed. Another problem is very few assay offices are open today. It is complicated for some auction houses to get stuff hallmarked (they have to post it to the assay office and pay for return postage.) Some public seller's and auction houses describe on the internet that items are plated, but dealers know they are gold or silver and a decent price gets paid at auction.
Le Mont-de-Piété (the government pawnshop) would also have ET stamped on low title objects left with them. The customs law of 11 January 1892 required that all work henceforth comply with standard requirements; the importation and resale of works inferior to French standards was thus prohibited and the use of the ET hallmark for imports then ceased temporarily. The special commission charged in 1893 with preparing the overhaul of the assay laws considered cancelling the ET mark. According to them, "manufacturers make articles of low standard, deposit them at pawnshops, and thanks to the ET mark, they pass into the trade as if being of French legal standards". Due to misuse and unfamiliarity of the ET mark among the public, the ET mark was suspended in 1893. But, faced with protest from antique dealers and jewellers, its use resumed in 1903 for second-hand articles of low standard precious metal having an "art or curiosity interest" If the artistic interest of the work with a too low standard was recognized by the assay office, the work was spared from breakage, and the ET mark granted and applied.(Note : The ET mark was never used on Antique (as in Roman) articles. The circular of 12 September 1903 mentions their dispensation from hallmarking).
Since 4 January 1994 this hallmark is no longer employed for gold articles and only employed on silver articles of less than 800/1000. Almost square mark from 1 st June 1864 to date for departments (and Paris until 23 October 1864). Rectangular mark for Paris, from 24th October 1864 to date.
The letters "ET", in the books with information about French hallmarks published by Waarborg Holland, Netherlands' Responsibility marks from 1797 Part 1 and Hallmarks Research Institute, World Hallmark Volume I Europe, the letters "ET" stand for the French word Étranger. The ET mark comes from the first two letters of the French word for Foreign-Étranger.
In the newly published book; French Precious Metal Hallmarks from 1789 to date, by Michael Fieggen. The letters ET; stand for Exempté de Titre, exempted from standard. It is important to bear in mind that while this hallmark is indeed often referred to as the Étranger mark, the
ET mark is not based on the word Étranger, but on the words Exempté de Titre
Peter.
Sources; Waarborg Holland Gouda edition 2009. Hallmark Research Institute, World Hallmarks Volume 1 Europe. Michael Fieggen, French Precious Metal Hallmarks from 1789 to date.