Passionate Collecting
Early American silver was popular with 20th-century collectors who sought quality items among the limited supply of surviving work by "important" makers. Prestige came with finding a "rare" form by a desirable maker. Silver objects marked by southern silversmiths or marked by makers from underrepresented groups such as free African Americans or women have been highly sought after.
The desirability of silver marked by the nation’s first Jewish silversmith, Myer Myers, is evidenced by the numerous forgeries and fakes still in circulation. The objects shown here belonged to two different collectors who were deceived. The spice tower (b’samim), used in Jewish religious celebrations, was one of the highlights of a collection of early New York silver. Featured in a book on New York State silver in 1964, it remained unquestioned until it was consigned to Christie’s auction house after the collector’s death. The Torah pointer and spoon belonged to an earlier collector who was also deceived by dealers he trusted.
Difficulties of Authentication
Until the mid-1900s, photographs of actual maker’s marks were not widely published or available. Collectors could only authenticate marks by comparing them to published drawings, which is not ideal. Another way of identifying a fake piece of silver was to determine the various constituents of the silver alloy. Silver refined before the mid-19th century contains trace amounts of gold and lead, which is absent in silver refined after about 1850. Before a non-destructive method of analyzing silver was developed at Winterthur in the 1970s, collectors had to have a sample removed for analysis, a costly process that harmed the object.
The base of this spice tower (b’samim) bears a genuine mark of Myer Myers and appears to be colonial-era work. The quality of the construction and engraving, however, is a cause of concern. Close examination recently revealed a horizontal seam expertly hidden partway up the shaft, and analytical testing revealed the upper segment to be of a lower purity of silver than the base. The two parts had been joined almost certainly with the intention to deceive. Christie’s excluded this tower from a sale of important colonial New York silver, and the piece was donated to Winterthur for study purposes.
Spice tower (b’samim)
Silver
Stamped “Myers” on footrim
Gift of the Darling Foundation of New York State Silversmiths 2008.45.1a,b
Marked "Myers," this important Torah pointer, a Jewish ritual object, was highly desired by collectors of early American silver. If you could take it apart, however, you would see modern threading on the screw that connects the poor-quality (cast) pointing hand with the (wrought) shaft. You might also notice the fresh, almost unpolished, cuts of the decorative engraving around the handle. Even the color is a bit whiter due to the higher purity. Such a desirable item of colonial Judaica was fabricated of modern silver under the direction of a Philadelphia antiques dealer, Samuel Harris, and sold as an undiscovered rarity to a longtime client who trusted Harris’s expertise.
Torah pointer
Silver
Stamped “Myers” on shaft
Wunsch Americana Foundation
In 1980 this tablespoon was tested and found to have an historically acceptable alloy level, with traces of gold and lead in the metal. If not for the marks on the handle, which are identical to those found on very good forgeries of Myer Myers in modern silver, an expert might be fooled. The mark, created by cutting a new die stamp for Myers, had been added to a genuine antique to enhance its value. This mark is an excellent replica of a genuine one and calls for attention to minute details in order to identify it as a fake. It was illustrated as a genuine mark in 1917 by silver scholar and collector Hollis French.
Spoon
Silver
Stamped “MM” twice to underside of handle shaft
Wunsch Americana Foundation
Although this dainty pitcher, purchased from dealer Samuel Harris, tested within acceptable standards for antique British sterling silver, the sloppy attachment of all three legs and the solder filling on the lower body indicate these were not just repairs. Careful scrutiny reveals a nefarious motive to more easily remove British hallmarks from the underside of the body. A now-well-known fake "Myers" mark was stamped on the bottom, turning an authentic British pitcher into a colonial counterfeit.
Milk or cream pitcher
Made possibly in England; 1740−55
Modified in North America; 1920−40
Silver
Wunsch Americana Foundation
Bibliography
To date, there has been nothing published on forged Myer Myers silver. For the most recent scholarly publication on authentic Myers silver, see David Barquist, Myer Myers: Jewish Silversmith in Colonial New York. New Haven: Yale University Art Gallery in association with Yale University Press, 2001.