Featured Silver Lipstick Case

Greetings,

Can anyone fill in some history for lipstick cases such as this one? I’ve found many online in a multitude of prices but none with any kind of history offered. Are these Italian? English? And any guess on the age? I've seen them come up as antiques and vintage.

Please don’t mind the state this one is in. I’m in the process of cleaning up the generous added bonus of lipstick & DNA from a previous owner. I do know this one is 800 stamped but I can’t make head or tail of the tiny marks on the bottom of the piece that holds the stone.

 

That other little mark is an Italian maker's registration mark - they've changed from time to time so anything you can do to get a picture of it will help.

 

I agree, Italy. I can't make much of the other mark:

 

I have one of those and, if I remember correctly, they're 1960s-ish. Take a lipstick cartridge, right?

Debora

 

Unfortunately it appears to be gone, whatever it was. These are taken with my loupe.

 

All the ones I have had in the past were Italian. Always good sellers.

 

Looks like there could be a fasces in the centre of the smaller mark. If so, it is from the Fascist era, 1934-1944.

 

I’ve seen some gorgeous examples with enamel pictures and all kinds of scroll work and stones. This one has seen better days but the price was too good to pass up.

 

This is the one I meant:



http://www.silvercollection.it/italianhallmarks.html

 

Darn. Too bad about the wear. I think it is safe to say, however that this one is not from the most recent version.

 

Could be a Florence mark, looks like FI at the end:

 

Are they still making these?

 

@Debora yes, cartridge. But it looks like the last owner squished a larger sized lipstick into the smaller sized cup and the lipstick got under the lever and all into the bottom of the tube. It’s been a pain to scrap out the crusted deep plum/red color. It looks like it stained it somehow.

 

Can imagine.

Debora

 

The cases? I assume so, although that's just a guess.

 

I think if you heat the tube in hot water, it loosens up the old crusted lipstick. Alcohol on q-tips or on some paper towels wrapped around toothpicks will also loosen up the old lipstick and get rid of some of the staining.

I tried playing with the close-up of your mark with Photoshop. I don't see anything but I thought those with more knowledge of the marks might recognize shapes.

 

Here are two more.

 

It does look like the last bit could be FI

 

Thank you for the suggestion. The alcohol with swabs removed it easily as compared to the makeup remover and oil I had been using. It came out very nice.

 

I have one also, mine has a tigers eye for the stone. Unfortunately it has no marks.