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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;15Stiftgasse, post: 4512775, member: 12382&quot;]As the price was right, I&#039;ve just purchased this silver case that was perhaps used to hold visiting or business cards. However, it&#039;s not the sort of thing I normally collect. </p><p>It measures c.5cm x 8cm and is quite heavy at 137g. Under a 10x loupe, the miniature appears to be hand painted, as opposed to a print. The white side panels have puzzled me a bit - they might be bone or maybe even ceramic(?). Under magnification, tiny black dots or pitting are visible in the white. The rear of the case has what appears to be machine engraving. I&#039;m no expert, but the case does appear to be of quite decent quality.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, to get to the point. I&#039;m a bit puzzled by the marks on the interior of the case.</p><p>There is an Austrian .835 silver hallmark dating from 1922 to 1953, according to my research. However, there are also the initials BF and the word STERLING 835. I always believed (perhaps wrongly?) that the word sterling was usually found on American or Canadian silver.</p><p>Might anyone be able to suggest who the maker &#039;BF&#039; could be, and whether the case could have originally have been made in the USA (or some other country) and then exported to Austria ?</p><p><br /></p><p>Any help appreciated !!!!!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]396451[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]396452[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]396453[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]396454[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]396455[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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