Featured A purse which may, or may not, have any silver in it ... but it is hallmarked!

I really don't know which section of the forum to ask about this purse ... (it may not be antique, and it may not be silver) but so many of the members that visit this "Silver" section are familiar with different hallmarks, I figure this will be the best place.

Purse frame is small - about 6" wide. Fabric looks like gold metallic brocade on a pinkish ground. Lining looks like pink silk taffeta with that french metallic lace trimming the edges. These are black cabochons bezel set at each hinge and one large one at the clasp. The engraved (inside and out) frame looks like gilt over ?

I think that trying to solve the hallmark mystery will help to date how old this is ...
but they are so small and hard to make out ... I cannot even be sure what country they are from or even if they indicate a low grade of silver (which I'm hoping ... they wouldn't hallmark brass, right?)

Can anyone figure out what the marks are? There is a diamond shaped one (M over something over K ????) and a small irregular shaped one in all three places ... there is a larger one in addition to those at the clasp, which looks like "M something"

I know France makers marks are often (always?) in a diamond shape ... but I could not find any with an M over a K with some shape between, so I might be way off course ...

Here come all the photos .....

marks under clasp

marks on insides of frame

other side (pink reflections are from my arm and hand - not in metal)

these are TINY ... this is a toothpick point next to them!


Thanks for looking ... I appreciate any help that can assist in my research on this!

 

It is French. You want to look at the "small guarantee" marks.

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

 

Thanks Bakers, I had looked there ... think it's an upside-boar? That's the only shape that wasn't on the gold side that looked similar.

 

I was thinking that too, Quirky.

 

You don't suppose that "thing" between the M and K could be a cat, do you? There is a Mathieu Katz (c1890) who's mark is an M and a K with a cat.

 

Katz with a cat. Makes me giggle.

I don't know. Was there a picture of the mark?

 

looks like a cat..........to me..

 

Ha ha! I missed that! Cute!

There's no pic. of his mark on 925-1000 or sivercollection ... nor in my book "The Book of OLD SILVER" Google has been equally uncooperative in showing his mark

 

It is the Paris small goods boar-head, indicating a fineness of at least .800, in use from 1838-1961. Mathieu Katz was a manufacturer of cane knobs - your mark, which shows a bull, belongs to jeweler Marie Kunsler, registered in 1919. Suspect, with that other mark, Kunsler was acting as retailer...

~Cheryl

 

Wow - Thank you, Cheryl!!!
(so ... the mystery blob is not a cat)

 

Nope, not a kitty, just a poorly done bull - Katz' cat is actually rather nice, larger than this bull, with a luxurious downturned tail...

~Cheryl

 

Ah the power of suggestion ...now it looks like a bull..!!

A Kitty Bull..................Bahahaha!!!!!!