I need some help from this verge fusee pocket watch

[sternerp]

Hi everyone!

I need some help from this verge fusee pocket watch: this is a pair cased old pocket watch, with verge fusee movement. Movement marked as J Smith 100. The both case inner signed with "three hoofs". I not see this marks earlier, and i dont know is silver marks or silver plate maybe other?

Best regards! Peter from Hungary

 

[PJQL]

Hi Peter,

The marks look more like crosses, the "hooves" merely being the exterior of each stamp.
It's hard to tell from the pictures, but I would guess that the case is merely white metal and not silver.

Regards

Piers

 

[gmorse]

Hi Peter,

The marks in the case are not English hallmarks, so Piers may well be right that it isn't silver, or at least has never been assayed in the UK. The plate with the 'J Smith 100' signature is a poorly finished and engraved later addition and is not original, but the rest of it does however look like an English movement as far as I can see from the pictures. It appears to date from around the beginning of the 19th century,

Regards,

Graham

 

[sternerp]

Hi Piers and Graham!
First, thank you for these informations. It raises another questions in me:
Case made maybe alpaca? In the beginning the 19th century was alpaca a known metal alloy? If yes, how often they were used to casemaking?
Or this case made later? But i think this shape is appropiate to this age.
Best regards! Peter

 

[gmorse]

Hi Peter,

Case made maybe alpaca? In the beginning the 19th century was alpaca a known metal alloy? If yes, how often they were used to casemaking?
Or this case made later? But i think this shape is appropiate to this age.

Yes, it could be this alloy, (also known as nickel silver or German silver), which was known from China, ('paktong'), in the 16th century and was being produced in Germany from the mid-18th and the UK from the early 19th centuries. The case is certainly in a style appropriate to the movement.

Regards,

Graham

 

[Omexa]

I thought Alpaca was a sort of Camel? Scientific name: Vicugna pacos. Just goes to show yuh; a Metal alloy as well. Regards Ray

 

[sternerp]

Hi Ray!
In Hungarian, this metalic alloy is called "alpakka", my english is not so good, and i use google translater;-)
Regards! Peter

 

[JTD]

Hi Ray!
In Hungarian, this metalic alloy is called "alpakka", my english is not so good, and i use google translater;-)
Regards! Peter

Nem baj. It is called alpaca or alpaca silver in English too, although it is more common in German. Alpacca was a trade name used by one of the first companies to use this alloy.

I don't think Ray meant you were wrong, just saying he had not heard that name use for an alloy before.

JTD