posted 06-17-2014 03:51 AM            

I have a cigarette case that turned up in a bit of a horrible state. It had been used as a ash tray and had some rough treatment. It looks like silver and under the rim you can see some gold color. It has passed the magnet test but there are no hallmarks that can be seen anywhere. A good look seems to show some scratch writing on the edge of the case but is difficult to make out. As far as I can make some of it out it looks like, '189 72X | a '. There could well be other letters or numbers as well as can some of these numbers look like others at different angles. Any help or advice would be welcome

posted 06-17-2014 05:37 AM            

I am not the person to advise on testing for silver content. The specific gravity test requires the sort of scales I do not have. I strongly dislike the concept of the destructive acid test. And I suspect that assay by a professional would probably cost more than the case is worth.

posted 06-17-2014 09:49 AM            

The lack of any markings as to silver content or maker makes me think that it is most likely an inexpensive, non-silver case. Companies that made and sold these were very aware that customers would pay more for solid silver cases, and they were also aware of the makers. Marking such cases was very important to the manufacturer when they used solid silver and when the company was trying to promote their market presence. It is possible that it is unmarked solid silver, but it is not likely.

The four tabs on the edge of the inside would have been the attachment points for the metal or fabric straps that held the cigarettes into the case when it was opened. Better cigarette holders typically had metal straps.

My suggestion is to clean it up and repurpose it to something you find useful, and then enjoy using it. I think that it might make a nice holder for some photos of your family or other loved ones, a business card holder, money wallet, or something like that.

posted 06-24-2014 01:06 PM            

I have been meaning to come back with a PS on this topic. Sorry for the delay in so doing. I hope our failure to confirm your cigarette case as silver has not been too discouraging. As Kimo says, silver is normally appropriately marked for good reason and indeed in the UK and elsewhere it would be illegal to sell an item as silver unless it was properly marked. However, I thought it might be helpful to sketch out one set of circumstances under which unmarked silver might have found its way to the UK.

Cigarette cases generally date from the first half of the 20th century, a time when Britain still had an Empire (just) and many Brits worked in the colonies, dependencies or, indeed, other third world countries, some of which did not have a tradition of marking silver. An expat might well have bought an unmarked cigarette case from a local craftsman in the belief it was silver. Unless the craftsman was ripping the buyer off, it probably was – though not necessarily sterling standard. Pieces like this would in due course find their way back to the UK.

English cigarette cases are usually decorated, typically with engine-turned engraving. The plainness of yours might support the theory that it came from a less sophisticated workshop somewhere overseas though it doesn’t prove it to be silver.

By way of analogy, I have a pair of plain, unmarked gold cufflinks with such a history. At least they are gold coloured, don’t tarnish and the gold colour doesn’t wear off. They were inherited from an uncle who worked overseas between the two World Wars. I have never bothered to check that they really are gold because they make perfectly respectable cufflinks and they are certainly not big enough for their value as gold to have life-changing implications.