Anyone know how to read French Hallmarks?

[Radboud]

I have acquired a new French smallsword with what looks to be silver hallmarks on one of the annelets. The sword blade is marked to Guyon the Elder from St Michael Bridge, Paris. This supposedly dates the sword from 1750 - 1767 but it would be nice to see what can be found from the hallmarks.

Unfortunately, try as I might, I can’t get a good read on them. Hopefully a member here will be experienced enough to decipher them.

[fernando]

Have you tried HERE (https://www.925-1000.com/Ffrench_menu.html) ?

[Radboud]

Have you tried HERE (https://www.925-1000.com/Ffrench_menu.html) ?

Yes, thank you. However, those images are all from nice flat surfaces….. Difficult to match them with the ones on such a narrow surface as annelets.

Just had another look; the crowned V could be a Crowned P for Paris or the wolf's head for Versailles. Or it could be a crowned V, and they don't list. There aren't a lot of makers marks from before 1800 on that site either (I'm thinking the one that shows the E is the maker's mark).

[werecow]

Possibly relevant, from the Dutch hallmarks (https://www.925-1000.com/Fnetherlands_Date_Code.html) page on that site:


H & I - The crowned "V", used 1814-1893 as a tax mark applied to all imported, unmarked and invalid marked objects of foreign, national and unknown origin. This duty mark does not give any guarantee of a precious metal standard of fineness, is has been used on metal with as low as .250 silver content. Upon the invalidation of the hallmarks of Louis Napoleon’s kingdom of Holland and those of the French Empire in 1816, this mark has also been used as a tax free census mark.

EDIT: And the E would be the dating code; 1839.

[Radboud]

Thank you Werecow, its a possibility. However, the dates don't match the blade (not conclusive I know), and there are three stamps, not four.

Also, the E is part of a larger stamp which I suspect is the makers' mark.

[Radboud]

I posted on the forums linked with the 925-1000.com site and received the following (very helpful reply):

Hello and welcome to the forum.
The hilt of your small sword is made of 950 standard silver as indicated by a date letter mark of a crowned V (poinçon de jurande) for Paris, 1760. The initial “E” appears to be a partial maker’s mark, but you’d need at least another letter and a symbol to make an attribution.

As I’m sure you know, Guyon l’Ainé was a small sword blade maker. You have knowledge that he was active 1750-1767. There is concordance therefore between the date on the hilt and the dates of Guyon’s activity. Au Roi de Chine is the retailer, at the location of Pont Saint-Michel in Paris. The blade itself is not made of silver.

Good luck in your research on this item.
Regards

https://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=60969

[fernando]

So good you cracked it :cool:.

[ulfberth]

Congratulations Radboud ! this is one of the nicest ive seen in this genre and in mint condition.
As a former Napoleonic collector im also a sucker for 18thc C French swords and certainly like this one, i mean massive silver, mint condition, the blade makers adress on the blade, ok the French did this but only on the high quality items, this one must have belonged to a high ranked French noble man.
Seeing things like this draws me back more and more to my old love, which made me start collecting in the first place.
kind regards
Dirk