This is the introductory essay to the buying and selling of Russian silver on E-Bay.  Russian silver is probably one of the major areas of fraudulent activity on E-Bay, with most knowledgeable dealers assessing the total percentage of counterfeit, fraudulent, or misidentified Russian silver items as being in excess of 90 percent.  The series will cover the silver standard, hallmarks and touchmarks, basic identification of counterfeits, and the use of common sense.  It will also look at Russian enameled silver, a stunningly beautful art form of which almost 95 percent of the objects offered on E-Bay are counterfeit.  Finally, it will look at representative items, and point out that almost all Jewish ritual silver offered on E-Bay is fake. 

Russian Silver
The Russian silver standard is based on the zolotnik, a word derived from the Slavonic word for gold.  The zolotnik was originally a gold coin circulating in Kievan Rus in the late 11th century, and was originally pegged to 1/96th of a Russian pound, which was later changed to 1/72nd of a Russian pound. One zolotnik is equal to 4,266 grams.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of Russian silver objects on E-Bay are called "Sterling," there is no such thing as Russian Sterling.  A variety of purities, also called titre ratings, are used for Russian silver, and when you convert them to the metric parts per thousand, you come up with the following degrees of purity:

84 zol. = 875/1000
88 zol. = 916,6/1000
91 zol. = 947,9/1000

There are others, but these are seldom encountered.  By far the most common is the "84."  This degree of purity is by far the most common, and became the standard for every-day silver purity.  Here on E-Bay, we frequently encounter 84! as a screaming assertion of Russian origins.  This is a bad mistake, which frequently leads purchasers to make bad decisions.  The "84" punch by itself proves nothing other than the existance of an "84" punch.  The zolotnik standard was used throughout the Middle East, parts of Europe, and in the Persian Empire.  In Russia, the "84" was always accompanied by several other punches:  a regional or city punch, an assay master's punch, and a maker's punch are frequently encountered.  All but the maker's punch were required by law during the 18th and 19th centuries. This marking system remained in use until 1899.  At that time, widespread use of a national assay marking system, the Kokoshnik (after a traditional headdress worn on the woman's head on the punch), was instituted.

To be covered in a future instalment are some of the key master silversmiths.  One, however, needws to be mentioned right away: Karl Faberge.  I have seen two pieces of not immediately confirmable as fake Faberge on E-Bay.  Allo others were indeed fake.  Any and all Faberge punched "84" is fake; his form (Faberge himself never made anything) worked in "88."

Faberge is, however, not the only thing faked on E-Bay.  As already mentioned, almost all enameled silver on E-Bay is fake or counterfeit.  This is a problem.  A real enameled Russian silver kovsh (a ritual drinking vessel) by a known maker can run from $10,000 to more than $100,000.  On E-Bay we find them (albeit counterfeit) for $500 to $750.  Many are sold by unscrupulous dealers in Riga, Latvia and in Bulgaria.  Then there is the fake problem.  A counterfeit is an object which substantially duplicates the real thing.  A fake is a contrived object which never existed in the original.  Both come marked "84" on E-Bay.  There will also be a future instalment dedicated to the preponderance of fakes.  

Points to remember from Part I

1. The punch "84" by itself means nothing in Russian silver.  There has to be some variety of assay mark and regional authority mark

2.  The Kokoshnik marking system was instituted around 1899.

3.  There is no such thing as Russian "Sterling."

Pitfalls to remember

1.  If it's pretty, enameled, gold washed on the interior surfaces, on E-Bay, punched "84," and costs less than $5,000, it's probably fake.

2.  If it's marked Faberge and punched "84"on E-Bay, it's probably fake.

3.  If it's too good to be true, it's not true.

Safety Guidelines

1.  A reputable dealer gives you as unconditional guarantee of authenticity and also refunds all expenses if something turns out not as described.  There are no deadlines on authenticity.

2.  Selling fakes and counterfeits across state lines by E-Bay and being paid through Paypal or check constitutes a Federal crime (actually, at least two: mail fraud and wire fraud).

3.  Most specialist dealers are happy to provide advice.  Some may charge a small fee for appraisal, but it's worth it.

Vladimir Saemmler-Hindrichs

Russian Art and Iconography

36147 Jeb Stuart Rd

Purcellville, VA 20132

(540) 338-8399