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The modern antique market is flooded with fake items. This problem has become particularly acute after a more than 15-year epidemic of counterfeit rare silver coins of the Russian Empire. When the demand for fake coins dropped, their manufacturers switched to producing counterfeit tsarist spoons with 84 zolotnik hallmarks.
The modern antique market is flooded with fake items. This problem has become particularly acute after a more than 15-year epidemic of counterfeit rare silver coins of the Russian Empire. When the demand for fake coins dropped, their manufacturers switched to producing counterfeit tsarist spoons with 84 zolotnik hallmarks.
For the average person, the number 84 and dealers' stories about the 'tsarist silver standard' had a hypnotic effect. Elaborate hallmarks and maker's marks with the names of famous masters, such as Fabergé, generated additional interest and inflated prices. As a result, buyers began to regularly purchase forgeries, which are known in slang as 'fufloriat'.
Producers of fake antiques mass-produced these items, actively using the names of famous Russian jewelers to give their forgeries an appearance of authenticity.
In an effort to reduce costs, forgers often treat hallmarks carelessly and make crude mistakes that are easy to spot with historical knowledge. Such inconsistencies are a sure sign of a forgery.
For example, the maker's mark of the famous jeweler Grachev was canceled after his death in 1873. However, ignorant forgers continue to place his mark on items dated to later years, such as 1883. This chronological discrepancy immediately gives away the fake.
The ability to recognize the symbols in assay marks and maker's marks makes it easy to identify 'expired' silver. It's like reading a product label in a store: if you know where to look for the manufacturing date and expiration date, you can easily determine the product's quality.
| Term | Description |
| Maker's Mark (Imennik) | A private mark of the master or manufacturer, which was applied to the item first. |
| Assay Mark (Proba-udostoverenie) | A state hallmark confirming the purity of the metal and the payment of duty. It was applied after the maker's mark. |
| Triple Mark (Troinik) | A state hallmark with three segments, including the inspector's initials, the year, the fineness, and the city's coat of arms. |
The placement of assay marks, hallmarks, and other symbols on jewelry in the Russian Empire was strictly regulated by the Assay Statute. This document prescribed the procedure for testing the metal and the method for applying hallmarks, which protected items from forgery and certified the payment of duty.
All hallmarks were applied by striking. The maker's mark, assay mark, and other symbols were engraved on a steel rod (punch), which was used to strike the item. First, the jeweler would apply their maker's mark, after which they would take the item to the assay office. There, after a chemical test of the precious metal content and payment of duty, the state assay mark was applied in a similar striking manner.
The main technological sign of authenticity is 'nothing superfluous'. This means that the hallmark impression should be clean and sharp, without any defects. When analyzing authenticity, you should pay attention to the following details:
In addition to technological signs, there are also methodological ones established by the Assay Statute. First, a strict sequence was always followed: the master first applied their maker's mark, and only then was the state assay mark applied at the assay office. It was always placed to the right of the maker's mark. Any deviation from this sequence indicates a forgery.
Secondly, masters were required to bring items for hallmarking in a not-fully-finished state. Presenting finished, polished items was forbidden. After the assay mark was applied, the jeweler would finish and polish the item themselves, removing the 'otboy'—the bulge of metal on the reverse side from the punch's strike.
Thus, if an 'otboy' is visible on the reverse side of a hallmark on an item dated before 1898, it should be considered a fake. Also, according to the law, items without a clearly struck maker's mark were not accepted for assaying.
In 1898, a new Assay Statute was introduced, which changed the appearance of the hallmark. It became oval, with a raised image of a woman's head in a kokoshnik, facing right. These hallmarks had a number of security features, the absence of which indicates a forgery.
In 1908, the hallmark design changed again, and new security features appeared. The image of the head in a kokoshnik was now turned to the left. To distinguish an authentic hallmark from this period from a fake one, you should pay attention to the following details: