Expert: Martin G Roberts - 1/19/2008

Question
On a dated 1783 lidded beer stein are 3 marks cloverleaf style.  Two are identical - CGN 708 a woman with outstretched arms and a billowing shawl encircling her head & torso.

The other is a griffin standing facing left and two vertical bars to its right.

Can you help me decipher these?

Thank you.

Dr. Christopher Whittle

Answer
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I can point you in the right direction. They are German marks (probably), the CGN being the maker's initials, 708 is probably 1708, being the date made free of the guild (possibly this is a son using his father's freedom date, given the date engraved, or else the engraved date was added much later). The griffin should be the town mark.

There are many hundreds of German marks, listed in E Hintze: Die Deutschen Zinngiesser und ihre Marken, published in many volumes (12, I think) in the 1920s and 30s.

You can access Hintze at a good library, and go from there. However, there is one catch to be aware of - many Continental European forms were copied by August Weygang's large and prolific reproductions firm in Germany in the early 20th Century - these Weygang repros are very common, especially in North America. They are excellent copies, made by skilled traditional pewterers using the same techniques as their forebears, and applying neat, well struck copies of authentic maker's marks. They also sometimes added engraving. Only a detailed firsthand inspection by someone knowledgeable in German pewter and Weygang products will give you a definitive appraisal of authenticity.

Martin
www.antique-metalware.co.uk