I have an old fraternity golf championship trophy from the year 1939 which was found at the University of Wisconsin about 20 years ago. I’m having difficulty identifying the silversmith’s mark, and I was hoping if someone with a little more experience than I could be of some assistance?[/img]
Hi Rick and thanks for joining us. The mark you show does not look like any maker’s mark I’m familiar with. Is that the only mark?
Regards,
Uncle Vic
Hey Uncle Vic thanks for responding! There was only this mark and the number “10” inscribed on the bottom of the trophy. After further research I believe it was made at the University of Wisconsin in their graduate metalsmith program all those years ago. The interesting part is that it bears no mark of “sterling”, or any lettering that would indicate that it was silver-plated… Is there a sure way to tell?
Regards,
Rick
Rick - If it was “shop-made”, then all bets are off as to the “standard” markings. There is no legal requirement here in the USA that sterling silver be marked as such, just that it is illegal to mark silver plate as “sterling”. We almost never see US commercially made sterling not marked as such, since it is much more expensive than plated, and every maker wants to show that.
A trick I use to identify sterling vs. plate is to rub the surface rapidly with your thumb to heat it up then smell the area rubbed…an acrid smell indicates plated (you are smelling the copper) while little or no smell is sterling (or some other metal such as peewter).
To be sure you can take it to a jeweler and have it “acid tested” for sterling.
Regards,
Uncle Vic
Thank you so much for your help!!
Regards,
Rick