I have these old Victorian Candlestick that are not marked. They are 14" high and each one weighs 1.5 pounds. Detailed raised relief foliage. I would like some one to tell me the value and maker.
Hi Rose,
A couple of questions first…
-
Is the top part of the candlestick (the sconce) removable??
-
Are you sure that there are absolutely no marks??
I would suggest that you use some silver polish on them! Once they are clean, examine the sticks for any light yellow or golden color at the high points.
Check these things and let us know what you find, then hopefully we can help…
Hello,
I have cleaned these with simichrome and there are no marks on these. Also there is no gold at the tips. These are indeed sterling. Rose
Hi Rose,
If the pieces are not marked, then it will be impossible to determine the maker.
I’m wondering why you belief them to be sterling?? Almost always, solid silver items are marked to indicate the purity of the item. Sterling is 92.5% pure and has been the legal standard for silver in the UK for hundreds of years (with only a brief interuption in the early 1700s). To be sold as silver items had to hallmarked. In the rest of Europe, different standards with different levels of purity were used. But these would also have carried markings of some form. If the piece is entirely without marks then it is unlikely to be solid silver. However, many european countries used just a single marking on their silverware and this can be very hard to find - so you should examine the pieces very closely.
If there really are no marks, please explain why you believe the pieces to be sterling??
and, do you have matching removable nozzles for the top of the sticks??
Jonathan