Unknown Silver Object

[BuckleBoy]

Round two! Unknown Silver object found at a Victorian home about six years ago. Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Buckleboy

 

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[BuckleBoy]

Re: Unknown Silver

Thank you for your ideas. I don't think it is a chair leg tip because it is silver and more cup shaped (although it was squashed at some point in the past). I have seen ornate leg tips and I just don't think this is one. I thought it might be the lid off of something, but the idea that it was something disposable seems at odds with the metal it's made from. The floral design is ornate, and my gut feeling is that it wasn't covered in cloth. Also, pretty big for a button. Any other ideas?

Buckleboy

 

[DCMatt]

Wine tasting cup?

DCMatt

 

[dugupfinds]

Back of a fob watch?

 

[BuckleBoy]

Design is little clusters of roses.

 

[JDSCOIN]

Hello Buckleboy,

Is it solid and fairely heavy? It looks like a custom-made object for a specific family. Something akin to a family crest in 'button' form.

It looks to me like there are initials formed on one side of it. Can you make out any more details looking at it from this perspective? It appears to be fairly ornate in places. It may well be a one-of-a-kind item or one in which only a very few were made. Perhaps you can inspect it closer for probable "maker's marks."

If the family that it is from can be determined (if it is what it appears to be to me), then you may be able to find out a great deal more about it and get a better idea of its value and history. You said that it came from a Victorian home. That would make sense. Now, if you can just find out more about the family or families that lived there, then you may have something better to go on. What I am saying is that it may be 'family specific' and not a mass-produced object. Regards,

JDSCOIN

 

[BuckleBoy]

The object is thin and not very heavy. I would have thought it was aluminum, except that it had no tarnish and was about 7 inches deep. (It later tested as silver.) There are no hallmarks or etchings of any kind except for the roses on the front. No...wait! Around the edge (which is quite worn, I see some engraving. "STE" or "ST8" then some letters that are missing then a "G" followed by "23 52". On the exact opposite side is the solitary number "3". I suppose this originally read "STERLING 23 52". It looks like this is stamped into rather than engraved into the metal. This would seem to support the notion that this item was mass produced. As I said earlier, I think the object was sombrero-shaped before it was stepped on or crushed. There are five groups of flowers on the top side of it. They appear to be roses and dogwoods. I just had a thought. Could this have been the top of a snuff box? I don't know how early the term "STERLING" was stamped on items... Any ideas? Also, the curious "23 52" I don't think there is enough room between the letter G and the two numbers to entertain the thought that this was a date with the month worn off and only the day and year left. The numbers do appear to be grouped together as I have listed them above, though.

 

[JDSCOIN]

Hmm... well, at least you know more about it than you did before. And that's a step in the right direction.

I'll have to think about this new information. Do you have a camera or scanner that will pick up the numbers/letters that were stamped on it? If so, maybe that could help us to come up with some more ideas or someone may see it and recognize it as something they know about.

JDSCOIN

 

[dg39]

The top of a walking cane head.
DG

 

[BuckleBoy]

Interesting idea, dg! Can you find any pics to post as examples? I like that one and the locket idea the best so far...

The rim around the underside is interesting, and I feel that it is definitely a piece or portion of a larger object or an ornament off a larger object. I don't think the underside was meant to be seen. The flowers are punched into the metal, so they are inset rather than raised when seen from the underside.

My digital camera is in the shop right now, but it should be back by this weekend. I'll post pics as soon as I get them taken.

 

[mojjax]

maybe a lid to a jar for a vanity set ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-STERLIN...46QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1215QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


mojjax

 

[BuckleBoy]

Mojjax, I think we have a winner! Same "sombrero" shape on the lid for the jar. Similar floral design. Same rim on the underside to fit over the top of the glass jar. Pretty dang convinced that you hit the nail on the head. Thanks!

Buckleboy