Featured Egyptian silver mark - date please?

Hi chaps. This has Cairo hallmarks and a date letter I can't make out. Anyone?

 

I have no idea what the official answer is but my guess would be 1970s.

What is it?

 

A little posy vase, made as four conjoined traditional pots. Rather cute.

 

That must be why I couldn't identify it. Real men don't do posies.

 

Good morning at least in the CST zone, OBB! Egyptian hallmarking usually consists of 3 punches: purity, mark for silver of either a cat or lotus flower, and date of assay mark. The mark on the left appears to be the Cairo mark for 900. The squggly mark on top is for Cairo. What surprises me is the lack of the Egyptian a cat or lotus flower that replaced the cat in 1946. The mark on the right is the date of assay. I've looked through a chart of Egyptian date marks. With my eyesight I can't be sure which one it is. Am including link to a chart of the date characters for you and others to see.
http://hallmarkwiki.com/?ShowHallmark=5693

--- Susan

 

http://hallmarkwiki.com/?country=Egypt

 

Hi Susan! Thanks honey, I'll go squint my way through the chart with a loupe. Much obliged. And check if there's a Bastet or lotus anywhere.

 

Now that I have been up awhile, I've taken another look at these Egyptian marks. To be honest, I am now not entirely sure that silver purity mark for .900 is for *Cairo.* The marks for Cairo, Alexander and Tanta are so very very similar to these old eyes. I jumped to the conclusion it was Cairo for that is the one I usually see. I got Tardy out a couple of minutes ago in hopes he had better illustations of the city marks on the quality/purity punch. They were not much better. Another thing, purity marks usually only have the number and one dot/diamond after it. Yours has 2 dots/diamonds. Looking around the web I have seen a couple of others with 2 dots. Here is an example on the 925-1000 forum:
http://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14358

A good chance yours never had the kitty or lotus. Quoting Tardy:

"Locally made silverware must bear three marks on the main parts of all articles able to take them. Accessories need bear only the quality mark and the date; smaller articles only the quality mark."

Someone might have thought this was an accessory??? Anyways have seen on other silver forums that it isn't unusual for the state silver mark, cat/lotus, to be missing. Another thing with the date on this in Arabic means it dates after 1940 or 1946.

--- Susan

 

Thank you! It's actually marked on all the bases, which seems to indicate quality - and it's heavy, too. When I squinted at it, I thought it Cairo but it's a tiny mark. I'd forgotten the Arabic date thing.

 

It's charming.........polish the hell out of it till it gleams...

 

I have one similar, it is marked only with one square containing
Cairo symbol above the 9 oo
There is no other mark but each pot has the one mark

 

I don't know the date, it may be an item made for Egyptian tourist trade. I bought this one near the Port of Los Angeles at a thrift shop.

1882 Egypt was occupied by the UK and by 1951 only 100,000 tourists went to Egypt. Most vintage items in California were bought 1940's onward during and after WWII which is when large numbers of military men were relieved of duty in California, I think to increase the labor force and generate growth. Seeing the way my marks are rubbed I would say my piece is at least 1940 on back.

 

Thanks TT!

 

i have the same date stamp. i have no idea what date. . come here for help..!! i can read its 800 silver, but the date doesn't match any of the charts ive found.

 

how ever i was told my piece was at least 35 years old.

 

what you got ?

 

Blast! I spilled my morning coffee again!!