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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Silver, post: 2292560, member: 6202&quot;]Good Day</p><p><br /></p><p>I wonder if someone knowledgeable about Egyptian silver marks would be able to provide information on this fiddle pattern teaspoon.&nbsp; (I call it fiddle pattern for convenience, but it is not quite fiddle pattern since it lacks the usual shoulders near the base of the stem).</p><p><br /></p><p>From what I know of the history of this piece it was likely purchased in Egypt during the first half of the Twentieth Century by a collector of silver and other interesting artifacts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mark in the centre would appear to be a Tughra.&nbsp; The mark on the left contains the elements that resemble a 9, plus a point.&nbsp; In Egyptian hallmarks this indicates 90% purity.&nbsp; Ie 900/1000.</p><p><br /></p><p>My problems with the marks on this piece are:</p><p><br /></p><ol> <li>The information I can find on the web regarding Egyptian hallmarks does not mention the inclusion of a Tughra, except on very old silver, and then it would have appeared on its own without other marks.</li> <li>In Egyptian silver the punch containing the 9 is a composite mark that also includes an arabic letter ABOVE the 9 to indicate the assay office.&nbsp; This mark has the Arabic letter below the 9.&nbsp; (And I don’t know what office, if any, it denotes).&nbsp; I’m assuming it is an Arabic letter, I don’t read Arabic.</li> <li>In Egyptian silver a set of hallmarks that includes the composite mark should have been accompanied by either a lotus mark or a cat mark, plus a date letter mark.&nbsp; It is possible that the mark in the oval punch, if viewed sideways, is a cat with a raised tail.&nbsp; This is one of the marks used to denote that the metal is silver, but none of the pictures of a cat with a raised tail that I have seen quite resemble this cat (if it is a cat).</li> <li>There is no date letter in English or Arabic (see previous point).</li> <li>This leaves me with the questions — are these marks Egyptian?&nbsp; If so, why do they differ from what appears to be the norm?&nbsp; If not, what jurisdiction are they from?</li> <li>Am I correct in concluding that this is a 900/1000 piece?</li> <li>What date, and assay office, do the marks indicate?</li> </ol><p>[ATTACH=full]258142[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]258143[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]258145[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]258146[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Any informed assistance would be appreciated.</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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