Is it silver?

The stuff inside has the look of cattle horn but appears more like it was a poured resin. Bottle coaster.

 

Where's @MrNate ?

 

Don't appear to be any "official" silver marks, but with the abbreviation "Aust" there are 2 choices - Austria (unlikely) or Australia (possible?)

 

It's Australian silver, 20th century - somewhere in the back of my head, think I knew the maker years ago, but not coming to me at all. Looks like pressed horn to me...

~Cheryl

 

Eh, gotta run, but took a very quick look for the maker - no luck, but found these two pieces, also with horn: https://www.antiquesreporter.com.au...1613-flatware-cutlery/?show=1&sort=0&count=64

edit: Looks like the link reverted - just search JPT as a keyword...

~Cheryl

 

I trust Cheryl’s expertise far more than my own. And if she says it’s silver, I believe that.

If it were in my hands, I’d give it a bendy flex test and the tone is sort of a pewter tone ( I’m not suggesting it’s pewter just describing how I would evaluate a piece). I’m fascinated by non conventional silver marks and continually trying to build my lexicon to maybe someday be at the level of the true experts on this site.

 

Yes, it does have that tin look. Quite heavy and hard to flex. No tarnish to speak of. Acid inconclusive. Failed magnet slide.

 

Must've been close to twenty years ago when I saw this mark, interesting because of the '920' - asked an Aussie silver collector about it and he confirmed its origin and that it was silver, but honestly can't remember if he knew the maker or not, and vaguely remember discussing why the '920', but don't believe it was really answered. Australian marks can be eccentric...

For some reason, Danish maker Peter Hertz often marked his pieces '924' (I have one bearing additional British import marks, indicating it was indeed at least .925 fineness) - was suggested that it may have had something to do with taxation, but have never confirmed that.

~Cheryl

 

This is a long shot, but since terry was having inconclusive results with common tests, could the 920 be an indication of 92% tin since that is the percentage that exists in pewter?

 

Suppose it's as likely as a '920' silver mark - on the other hand, even discounting what I was told, two different auction houses in Australia seemed sure their pieces were silver (not that mistakes aren't made, perhaps it's just a long held misconception in Oz)). Would think if pewter that it would bend rather easily (wondering if that's a centering point there with the marks) - but Terry has it in hand to figure it out, if mine, would run it in for XRF testing just out of curiosity...

~Cheryl

 

As always, we appreciate your insight Cheryl

 

Found this one:

https://www.antiquesreporter.com.au...-920-and38-horn-ladle-marked-and39jpt-920-au/

and this one:

https://www.antiquesreporter.com.au...-horn-condiment-pots-and-two-salt-and-pepper/

 

Definitely less paramagnetic than sterling. Much harder than pewters usually are but the forging could have imparted some extra rigidity.