Old silverware

[Pecole]

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I use this old family silver fork every day, and had never really looked at it. I had even not noticed that it had stamps. Now registered, and not only in my (vanishing) brain...

 

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[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Pierre,

 

Nice photos.

 

The marks on the back tell a story.

 

The "A" on the right is part of a Belgian State Mark which Belgium began using in 1868. 

 

Which is interesting since your family is from Belgium.

 

If you look at the bottom of the mark you can see part of what should be a complete "800" which indicates that this is a silver piece made to the fineness of 800 parts out of 1,000 being silver. The other alloying parts always being copper.

 

This was 1 of the Belgian standards at the time this was made.

 

The "m" over "D" is the maker's mark.

 

I think that the"m" is for "Mons". I am not sure.

 

The "D" is most likely the maker who lived, or had their silver marked, in Mons.

 

The style of design in the front appears to be from somewhere between the 1868 date above & the First World War.

 

You are lucky to have this.

 

I hope this information is helpful.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

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[Pecole]

Hello Pierre,

 

Nice photos.

 

The marks on the back tell a story.

 

The "A" on the right is part of a Belgian State Mark which Belgium began using in 1868. 

 

Which is interesting since your family is from Belgium.

 

If you look at the bottom of the mark you can see part of what should be a complete "800" which indicates that this is a silver piece made to the fineness of 800 parts out of 1,000 being silver. The other alloying parts always being copper.

 

This was 1 of the Belgian standards at the time this was made.

 

The "m" over "D" is the maker's mark.

 

I think that the"m" is for "Mons". I am not sure.

 

The "D" is most likely the maker who lived, or had their silver marked, in Mons.

 

The style of design in the front appears to be from somewhere between the 1868 date above & the First World War.

 

You are lucky to have this.

 

I hope this information is helpful.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Wow! you are a true historic encyclopaedia, Michael. Thank you so much.

We have two similar fork-and-spoon sets, offered by my mother when we married (55 years ago...). She had inherted 12 sets from her parents, and the dates you mention make sense, since my grand-parents married in 1899. Further, my maternal grand-mother was from Mons!(We are pure walloons : I was born in Namur, like my mother, and my father - killed at war in May, 1940 - in Gembloux).

Where are you from?

[Pecole]

I was so enthusiastic about the information you provided, Michael, that I spent the last hour rummaging into the kitchen's drawers and taking more pictures. Here are the results :

First a more crisp image showing the stamps - this time on the spoon -, that confirms the "800" under the A, but possibly throwing trouble as far as the "M" is concerned : it looks more like a snake than a letter.

Second, the "DD" engraving appearing on all the pieces, and meaning "Delfosse-Daout", the family names of my maternal grand-father and grand-mother.

And finally, another set we have we a different decoration, but exactly the same engravings and stamps.

Thanks again for these valuable details that complete my family history.

 

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[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Pierre,

 

Nice photos, again.

 

I am from & in a little village called Metuchen which is more or less at the Latitude of Capri & the Longitude of Bogota.

 

In that this is a place made up entirely of immigrants, like Portugal & Belgium. I will add that my Father's Family came from Hungary & my Mother's Family came from Austria.

 

The "m" in its wavy form is typical of "m" in silver marks of Belgium at this time period.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Edited August 21, 2017 by Michael Geschlecht

[mdachs]

Hello Pierre,

as a goldsmith I was always interested in hallmarks.Michael is right, but he "m" over "D" is no m, its a snake. It is the mark of "Delheid Fréres, Bruxelles". As my English is not  the best, the following link:https://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2010/03/25/35980.html

 

Rgds

Joachim

[Pecole]

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Thank you so much, Joachim. I just discovered your note this morning, and the first thing I did was to print your valuable reference to add it to my "family history" documentation.

Hello Pierre,

as a goldsmith I was always interested in hallmarks.Michael is right, but he "m" over "D" is no m, its a snake. It is the mark of "Delheid Fréres, Bruxelles". As my English is not  the best, the following link:https://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2010/03/25/35980.html

 

Rgds

Joachim

[Graham (G4FUJ)]

Lovely photos and a really great thread with interesting information.

[Pecole]

I must confess that the interest raised by this thread surprised me. I went on looking to the various old family silver spoons and forks both my wife and myself have inherited, and found some more engravings. It seems that images one and two show the same engravings, but with different type : same producer, different time?

I also re-discovered a spoon nicely engraved with the fore-name of my father Max Jeandrain, who was killed at the age of 32, in the first days of WW2 (he was a reserve lieutenant). I show it just for pleasure. Spleen...

 

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