Topic: Glass decanter maker's marks

[junkmailforblankets]

Are these fairly common? I got it at a thrift store for a few dollars and was wondering whether it would be worth my time to try to sell it. It's really pretty, and I like having it in the house, but if it's worth any money, that would be good to know.

Thanks so much everyone for your help; this is so much fun doing detective work; I'm afraid I'm enjoying it too much, and the last thing I need is another hobby.

[krsilber]

European silver marks are quite fascinating.  You can tell so much about where and when and by whom silver was made, and it's all in "code," like deciphering a note from a spy or something.  If only glass were similarly coded!

Are the top and the bottom silver parts in the same pattern?  I wondered whether they were perhaps applied at different times, and that's why there's a discrepancy in the town that Kev found.  One set of marks is very nice and neat compared to the other, too.  Not my area, it's just an idea.

The engraving is quite lovely.  Thank you Jeremy for posting photos of it!  Normally engraving isn't usually covered by silver if the engraver was aware it would go there, which supports the idea that the glass was made at a different time than the silver was applied.

[junkmailforblankets]

Kristi, the silver parts seem to share a pattern. As for the set of marks, the photos I posted are all from the underside of the bottom piece of silver. The top piece of silver shares the same set of importer's marks, but not the maker's marks.

[krsilber]

Oh, I see.  I must have missed that, obviously.  Thanks for clarifying.

[Lustrousstone]

As the silver is German, it seems likely that the decanter may be German or Bohemian, given the engraving. It also looks as though the decanter is quite badly watermarked inside, or is that just an artefact of the photo. If it is, that will lower its value.

Google brings this site http://www.karaffensammler.at/gallery/main.php up as having some silver by the same firm but I can't find it when I look through the site

[Tigerchips]

http://www.karaffensammler.at/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=3692