Fine Old 18th/early 19th c. Austro Hungarian Silver Caster Shaker Munkacs City

Description

Presented is a very interesting antique Austro-Hungarian silver caster or shaker. This piece is made from 13 loth silver, a purity of 813/1000. This piece of silver could be from anywhere in the late 1700s to about 1850, the date given for when the Munkacs city mark was no longer in use. This shaker is made in a waisted balustroid form, with vertical fluting around the lower half of the body and finely hand chased flowers and swags around the shoulder. The lid features a skillfully engraved and pierced foliate scrollwork design, giving the shaker particularly large holes for dispensing salt, pepper, or other spices.
This piece is hallmarked on the side of the rim with two old Austro-Hungarian hallmarks, the '13' is visible for 13 loth silver, with an M for the city of Munkacs (modern day Ukraine, as the city of Mukachevo). Munkacs was primarily a Jewish town until WWII, and it is quite possible that this is a Jewish made piece of silver. There is another mark opposite the two Austro-Hungarian marks, which is likely a maker's mark.
This piece is in excellent condition. There are no splits, no breaks, no dents, no monograms, no monogram removals, and no repairs. The lid has a notched design for a bayonet-twist style closure, but the pin that would secure the lid is no longer present. The lid still closes well as a tension closure style, regardless.
The caster measures about 5 5/8 inches tall.
This piece weighs 129 grams or 4.6 regular ounces.
-jm
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