Can anyone help me decifer the marks on the base of a Tiffany & Co Cigar Lamp?
Thanks,
Fran[/img]
Here’s a picture of the Tiffany & Co Cigar Lamp itself. Does anyone recognize the style?
Thanks,
Fran
Hi there Fran and thanks for joining us. Your cigar lamp is silver plated, not sterling and was most probably made between 1868 and 1891. I say this because the letter “M” below the mark stands for Edward C. Moore, who merged his company into Tiffany in 1868 and his “M” initial was used in the mark until his death in 1891. Thereafter the surname initial of the incumbent president of the company was used.
The absence of the words “sterling silver” mean your item is silverplated. Tiffany made silverplated wares until 1931. The numbers in the mark are the pattern number and order number. Charles and Mary Grace Carpenter have written an exhaustive treatise on the subject, titled “Tiffany Silver”.
The style looks to me like art deco.
Regards,
Uncle Vic
Uncle Vic, you really shouldn’t make statements of fact if you have no basis for them. Tiffany retailed coin silver grade goods into the 1910s, little of which was marked as such, nor needed to be. While the firm sold many fine sterling grade objects during Moore’s tenure, there is no reason whatsoever for making a patently unsubstituted statement that the piece in question is “silverplate” simply because it does not bear the stamp “Sterling”-- there was no reasons, past marketing, to mark any goods as any grade of silver and a good deal of it was sold just that way, unmarked. It may be plate and it may not, but you haven’t an actual clue if you have not held it in your hand.
And how could something made in Moore’s era be called art deco (it is not), which flourished 40 years after his death? It may be that you have some knowledge of English goods, but you would be wise to resist commenting on American wares.
Wev - since the Franks brothers began this site years ago and asked me to moderate the American silver section we have been very fortunate to have very few unpleasant people visit here. You are one of them, and your posts have been uniformly unpleasant and vainglorious. We simply are not interested in your sniping.
Go find another place to be unhappy.
Uncle Vic
i agree uncle vic, though he does have a point, albeit in a very vainglorious way as you say. The picture is very clear and to me it suggests that there is no possible way of finding out if its silverplated or not. Try emailing tiffany & co? Surely they would be happy to tell you if they have the info, fran. There are loads of tiffany collectors and if you find a forum, u may find what you’re looking for. 
Tiffany marks are well documented, and the absence of the words “sterling silver” in this mark configuration means it is silverplaed. Please see Dorothy Rainwater’s Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, 5th Ed. pp 249-251for a summary of the Tiffany sterling and plated marks scheme. Assuming the subject item is not mis-marked, I’m 100% confident its silverplated.
Regards,
Uncle Vic
thanks for the info uncle vic, much appreciated. Id thought they must be well documented. Im always looking for ways to expand my silver knowledge. Incidentally have you looked at the post named 'help in identification. ’ its another post of mine and hopefully your knowledge will help me in finding out my silver collection origins.
Hi there, I came across of many Tiffany silver plated (silver soldered) item and I find different letter at the base of the hallmarks, as the directorate initial for sterling silver. My impressio is that some of them (e.g. M or T), are often misinterpretated probably thinking at the sterling silver items, but my gues is that that letters are date letters (I ound other different letter than that of the Directorate: O, G, L, … Tiffany started producing silver soldered item for hotels use in 1865 there is not the evidence when date letter (if so) was first use.
