The hunts are starting to shine ✨️

[tamrock]

Had to go to the post office and why not my local big box thift store for a quick go-around afterwards. This was in the glass case and priced at a whoping $39.99. Dang thing looked brass, but I could see the elements these 2nd hand store folks do miss, as it is silver with a gold wash. Once I saw it was hallmarked on the lock mechanism, key, lid and base I knew it was a winner. Thought it was maybe French, but instead it's Portuguese 83.3% alloy silver and a good amount of it. The purity mark is an eagle in a cut corner border with the No. 833 for the town of Porto. It's a mark used after 1938 and I'm guessing this was maybe made as late as the 1950s? The other mark is very small and hard to photograph. It looks like some coat of arms in a rectangle border with cut corners on one end and square corners on the other. Could be the makers mark? We'll see what Red Coat can come up with on that mark. I gladly paid the price for this valuable piece of thrift store treasure 🤑

 

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[Red-Coat]

Very nice, Tamrock. Yes, that's a Porto mark for .833 silver (silver gilt in this case) introduced in 1938, but it was still in use up until 1984. That will be a maker's mark alongside it but I'm afraid I don't recognise it.

 

[Rhapsody]

Had to go to the post office and why not my local big box thift store for a quick go-around afterwards. This was in the glass case and priced at a whoping $39.99. Dang thing looked brass, but I could see the elements these 2nd hand store folks do miss, as it is silver with a gold wash. Once I saw it was hallmarked on the lock mechanism, key, lid and base I knew it was a winner. Thought it was maybe French, but instead it's Portuguese 83.3% alloy silver and a good amount of it. The purity mark is an eagle in a cut corner border with the No. 833 for the town of Porto. It's a mark used after 1938 and I'm guessing this was maybe made as late as the 1950s? The other mark is very small and hard to photograph. It looks like some coat of arms in a rectangle border with cut corners on one end and square corners on the other. Could be the makers mark? We'll see what Red Coat can come up with on that mark. I gladly paid the price for this valuable piece of thrift store treasure 🤑

great find especially love that key

 

[Old Dude]

Yeah that little key caught my eye too. Good find!

 

[Lenrac2]

Congrats on your good find!

 

[tamrock]

Yeah there's not a whole lot of information on Portuguese silver found online and it would be nice to know who it was that produced it. The portrait on it looks to be a colorized photograph and I don't know if it's a known royal or maybe the lady who once owed it? Maybe just an image of some random period style revival looking woman? Anyway, thanks for your input everyone.