www.925-1000.com

I am not sure if this is definitively Chinese, or silver for that matter. Someone else thought it might be pewter. I figured the two letters were HK possibly meaning Honk Kong, although they may be NK or WK. It's hand made and definitely feels and looks old. Is this Chinese or something else? Anyway to know if it is silver or pewter? The letters look to me to be H.K 1879. Then 84 and an N or H. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

After doing a little research I now think this is Russian. I am going to have to search for the maker a little bit, but if a mod can move this to the correct forum that would be great. Thanks

Ivan Kapuskin? With the first letter being a cyrillic symbol

Hi,
There are 3 assayers in PL with initials ИК
No 3777 I.Krapavin in Kharkov 1849-1850
No 3132 unknown assayer in Novocherkassk around 1856
No 2114 unknown assayer in Moscow 1872-1881

The first two are too early and rather rare.
The Moscow assayer is the best candidate matching your mark.
The first letter in maker`s mark cannot be seen, could be A, Л or whatever. The second letter is either H (N)or K.

That`s all I can tell.
Regards

It is a Russian salt cellar. Usually there should be a little spoon with it but it is as here missing. The cellar is assayed in Moscow 1879. The assayer is not unknown he is Ivan Yefimovich Konstantinov 1874-1883. The maker's mark is so badly punched that mentioning a name would be more a guess than a fact.

Hi,
Thank you Qrt.S for clarifying and amending PL.
In several Russian sources his years as Moscow assayer are different (1875-1882).No reference given,though.Possibly just repeated.

управляющий Московским пробирным округом в 1875-1882 Иван Ефимович Константинов

and again

Иван Ефимович Константинов (1875-1882)г

Also here:
https://www.925-1000.com/Frussia_assay_01.html
Regards

@AG2012

Well better to have something than nothing. Unfortunately there is nothing new in that different sources might give different answers.