Featured Unmarked Silver Case with 12 Ancient Vestas

Discussion in 'Silver' started by wlwhittier, Sep 9, 2022.

  1. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    There isn't a letter or figure anywhere on (or in) this case. This always puzzles me, as whoever made it left no indicator of pride in workmanship or material. I just don't get it...
    I'm confident it's a silver alloy...but what percentage is a question. I won't bother testing it, as it'll probably become a gift, soon or late.
    It's ~55.75mm x ~30mm x ~10.25mm; weight (empty) ~20gr.
    The vestas appear to be a hard sleeve around a fibrous core, with the flame end barely larger than the shaft. I won't waste one to test 'em.
    Any insights about all of this will of course be most welcome!
    Thanks for lookin'!


    6BDAE78E-7D87-4D34-A831-3B24DBEE7F36_1_201_a.jpeg FCE458F4-002F-4B85-BA2B-E6DC4F509659_1_201_a.jpeg D09E75A5-2F42-441C-8648-341AF6E4932E_1_201_a.jpeg 6B9EB77F-8865-46AD-BE1D-7A73E01C3B33_1_201_a.jpeg BF6966A4-41AC-4E86-A753-9EA494013881_1_201_a.jpeg B32F513A-3D02-4346-A5D8-9A3B03CDE788_1_201_a.jpeg
     

    Attached Files:

    Figtree3, cxgirl, johnnycb09 and 4 others like this.
  2. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    the matches look handmade .
    I'm thinking asian and the box may be 925 or better.......
     
  3. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    When I read Ancient Vestas, I thought of something like this:

    upload_2022-9-9_14-39-48.png
     
  4. quirkygirl

    quirkygirl likes pretty old things

    Well, not completely without any marks ... (ignore the red dot). There's a lion in the red circle.

    Inkedunmarked vesta.jpg
     
  5. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Yay, quirky! It is Dutch.;)
     
  6. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    Profound gratitude, quirkygirl! What an Eye!
     
  7. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    So...it's a Dutch Lion?
     
  8. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Yes, a Dutch lion mark. The lower part is worn or badly stamped, that is where you can tell the period. But it is likely to be the 1814-1953 lion mark for .833 silver (at least .833, could be a bit over).
     
  9. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    AJ, aren't those Vestal Virgins? 16 count...is the number important? What ceremony is shown, when, an' by whom?

    That's quite a scene, with what seem to be portraits of individuals gathered somewhat informally for an apparently significant initiation...of, perhaps, the 4th from left, whose head is not so covered as are her sisters. Curiouser an' curiouser.
     
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  10. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Yes, they are, but that picture is less boring than 12 pictures of the same ancient Vesta. Besides, Vestal virgins were representations of the ancient Goddess Vesta, so relevant when speaking of an ancient Vesta.;)
     
  11. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    Huh? Only six pix...I try to observe th' norms here, mostly.
     
    PepperAnna likes this.
  12. Boland

    Boland Well-Known Member

    Well done!!
     
  13. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    You didn't post six pics of an ancient Vesta, you didn't post any.
    And I tried to avoid posting 12 pics of the same Vesta (Goddess!), because, as I said before, it would be boring.

    Btw, you're welcome.
    Oops, you didn't thank me for identifying the mark for you. Not the first time either, so this is the last time I helped you.
     
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2022
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  14. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    Ye gods an' little fishhooks! My sincere apology for egregious neglect of common courtesy. I do thank you, now, tardily...and promise to be much more prompt about that in the future.
    Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, AJ. Please do not forsake me!
     
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  15. J Dagger

    J Dagger Well-Known Member

    I’d heard tell of these dames “One of sixteen vestal virgins
    Who were leaving for the coast
    And although my eyes were open
    They might have just as well've been closed” but had never stopped to think much about them. Each one prettier than the next in that painting. It’s a shame they’re all taken. Seems like all they had to do all day between them was keep an eternal fire going. What a cushy gig. Lyric courtesy of Procul Harum.
     
  16. Bakersgma

    Bakersgma Well-Known Member

  17. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    Them were th' days, eh?
     
    bercrystal and J Dagger like this.
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