Featured Need help identifying this silver card holder

Hi all, I bought this card holder in Russia and was hoping I could find more information on it here. It doesn't have any markings on except for what looks like an "F163" on the gold plating inside. Is this an identifiable mark? Also, does the SM or MS monogram have any significance?

Many thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum, tabr. Beautiful calling card case.

Could be F153, which looks like a manufacturing code. The monogram is probably a previous owner's initials, it is usually impossible to find out who that was.

The imperial crown could signify something, a gift from someone in the imperial household to a loyal servant or trader maybe? In which case the monogram could be of the person who gave it.
Maybe one of our members who knows Russian knows of a member of the imperial household with initials MS or SM?

Are there any other marks on it?

 

@Any Jewelry, which way up is that crown supposed to be, because to me that looks more like a 'W' than an 'M'......?......just wondering.....in any case, it's a beautiful case!!!!! And nearly forgot my manners.....WELCOME to ANTIQUERS site, @tabr!!!!

 

The crown is always on top.

 

Otherwise they'd have to drill a hole in.. oh, forget I said anything, I won't go into the medical details.

 

Since the "S" is not a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet, this might have been made in some other country and later made its way to Russia -- Or made in Russia for somebody in another country?

And welcome to Antiquers, @tabr!

 

Or it is from another empire. Austro-Hungarian for instance.
The style is pretty generic of the period.

 

OK!! Well, that shoots that idea.....makes sense, but that M sure LOOKS W-ish!!!!!

 

Look at it this way: when opening that gismo, one opens it with the clasp closest to the body, elsewise one might have a shower of cards raining all over the place. Initials on silverware are read the same way: aim the business end down when reading the letters.

It's common sense, regardless of all the listers who want to W the M's to suit either the Smiths or the Walters.

 

@tabr could you post a close up of the crown? We could find a clue as to which empire in the details.

 

In the U.S., you usually see 3 initials for a monogram....am wondering if that holds true most places (which to me would indicate that the monogram has some other significance to it than a person's name....unless they just really hate their middle initial!).

ETA: I'm sure that's not a hard fast rule, just throwing it out there in case it helps.

 

size would be nice.
my 1st thought goes to English , engine turned cigarette case....with the crest added later or elsewhere.... but with no hallmarks.... maybe Canadian.....

I'd like to see the inside...in full.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome!

It's about 13cm x 8cm with a thickness of 1cm. Crown looks to be Imperial Russian.

 

Monograms here are often two initials only. Using middle initials is very much a US thing, in my experience. I heard once that it was supposed to be a sign of coming from a better family in American practice, but I've no cite for that.

 

Monograms .............. https://www.markandgraham.com/pages/monogram-guide/

 

oh, it's a cigarette case...with a gold wash on the interior..

 

There isn't much space for cigarettes in the case...unless it's for slim lady cigarettes!

 

I agree, cigarettes would be squashed, and there is no strap to hold them.

European countries generally use two initials. To us three initials looks American.

I agree, it does. The Austrian has the cross below the gem, and the shape is slightly different.
Russia:


Austria:


Prussia is different too:


All three can be depicted with or without ribbons.