Featured Dag W/ Mark?

Hello Everyone!

So I got an interesting question...

I was cleaning some Dags I just purchased and one of them has a mark in the corner.

I have never seen this on any Dag I've bought so was wondering if anyone else had?


Thank you as always!
Warm Regards,
Scanitc

 

Ha! A French silverplate mark - A. Gaudin is the maker. Is that on a frame?

 

The 40 stands for 40 grams. This article from 925-1000 explains the European use of numbers on silverplate. Since it started out with the number of grams of silver used in plating flatware pieces, I'm not certain how the equivalence works on things like this.

http://www.925-1000.com/a_platenumbers.html

 

It's on the Dag itself, which I find odd. It was hidden under the gold matting.

 

Turns out I found the info on it! lol

http://archfoto.tripod.com/hallmark.html

I had no idea they hallmarked Dags.

 

Yay! And there's your man A. Gaudin right at the top of the list!

 

How very strange, I guess you learn something new every single day! Haha

 

Wait a minute..... Is he the Walking Liberty designer???!!!
http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/ig/U-S--Historical-Gold-Coins/us-gold-double-eagle-1908.htm

 

Gaudin, not Saint-Gaudens.

 

Ah! 'in' not 'en'.

 

How are you cleaning them? You do know that damage can happen extremely easily, don't you? I don't know your level of expertise, so am just asking.

There are even some cleaning methods that at first seem to work but later lead to irreparable deterioration and damage.

And also, could you show the image on this one? I love looking at these.

 

Well I don't actually clean the Dag itself, more of a seperating it from the glass (usually taped on) and then cleaning the interior glass and the case setting. Many of the times the majority of staining / wear is on the interior glass. Which If you give it a good cleaning and make sure to let it dry fully, seems to be enough to keep them safe. I got a couple I've cleaned and had for over a year so it looks to not damage them in anyway. I just really make sure not to touch the side that has the image with anything. I use a air-can to blow off any dust that may be on it. It's a lot less delicate than one would think. Especially when you've done it a bunch of times. I must admit, my first adventure into it was scary, but after about 100+ cleanings it's become less stressful lol

 

Oop! Here is the entire thing after being cleaned

 

ScanticAntiques, I'm just curious but . . .

It strikes me as a bit unusual that the woman's hand on the right side of the photo as we are seeing it appears to be clenched and that "perhaps" her index and middle fingers are "fused" (injury or at birth????). Is that just an illusion?

I paid greater attention to that hand because it is so far (to my way of thinking) removed from the child (as in no attempt to touch even ever so slightly the child with that hand or even one of its fingers).

Again, just curious.

 

Thanks for showing the whole photo! And thanks also for allaying my concerns. It looks like a previous owner did something to the surface, because I see small "wipe" lines going across. They don't look too bad, though, in that they are not that prominent.

 

I suspect that is just a trick of the angle of the photograph that ScanticAntiques took, or possibly the angle of the original photo. That whole area looks less clear than their faces do.

 

Not a problem, many times the tape that I find on them is C.1940's - 1960's. Old, crusty papery tape. (of all different colors) But certainly not of the time period. So it seems they got opened over the years and cleaned. I'm usually just trying to get rid of hair or stains on the glass.

We really saved one this weekend! Absolutely adorable image of mother and child, child holding a stuffed sheep toy. (Dag) It was in a frame that had blue corrosion all over it, as well as a matting that had become corroded. (the matting was glued to the glass) Got rid of the all that and replaced the Dag matting and frame, then put it back in it's case and it looks like a million bucks.

The thing was inches from death lol

I'll have to post some pics of the matting it came out of. And the after look. Too bad I didn't take a photo of it prior to it's cleaning!

 

Here is a better image of the hand.

Can't tell honestly!

 

Thank you for that last photo, ScanticAntiques.

It looks like Figtree was correct -- it was an angle-trick.

 

ScanticAntiques, I can hardly wait until you post the child holding a stuffed sheep toy.