Rare 1840 silver Berlin spice tower Besamim Judaica GEM Astonishing filigree, emperors heads. Berlin bear mark Start Price USD 9.99 Current Price USD 560.00 Time Left - Bid Count 15 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, August 26, 2008 End Time Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Location Chattanooga, Tennessee See more about 'Rare 1840 silver Berlin spice tower Besamim Judaica GEM' Description Rare 1840s German silver Berlin spice tower Judaica GEM!   Beautiful antique German sterling silver Besamim spice box, or spice tower, fully marked Berlin silver, nearly 9 inches tall, in good condition.Good gauge silver, cylindrical form with a door in the lower box. Both boxes ventilated with highly ornate filigree panels, the lower in a diagonal lenticular pattern, and filled with beaded-edged ribbons of silver rolled into curlicues and wiggle-work. At the top a spherical finial on a tapering mast. The mast is repousse decorated with rococo scrolls and two medallions each containing a ‘Roman emperor’ head in profile (and upsidedown) each head flanked with sprays of laurel and oak. The stem of the base is also slightly tapered –narrower at the bottom– plain except for a single group of three engine-turned bands. Domed base with ropework band and a modified ‘leaf and dart’ border. Marks:  Marked on the exterior of the foot rim with (from left to right) a maker’s name: E Lott(?) in cursive script, a secondary assayer’s mark: c and a primary assayer’s mark: a standing bear and letter K for J.C.S. Kessner, the Berlin silver guild chief (or primary assayer) from 1819 -1854. The primary assayer’s mark authenticates a silver purity of 12 löt (750/1000) or better. Date:  Second quarter of the 1800s. The secondary assayer mark c indicates a date in the 1840s. Condition:  Good. Beautiful patina of antique sterling. I have not tried to clean it, though it is clean enough to show that there’s no corrosion or serious scratching, just some typical tiny flecks of black on the stem and base that would polish out if they mattered to you. The filigree is all in great shape, firm and with no looseness, breaks or losses. The hinge of the door is perfect and the handle opens and closes as it should. There is some waviness of the silver here and there, typical for its age, but no dents or splits. There is a somewhat crude solder line repair between the upper and lower boxes. This beautiful and rare piece of antique silver is a small but important example of old European Judaic tradition, silverwork and the visual arts. It is highly decorative and creates an immediate presence wherever it is placed on display. This is the real thing, I guarantee you will not be disappointed! Size:  The spice tower stands just short of 9 inches tall by 2.1 inches across the base (22.5 x 5.2 cm). It weighs 104g or 3.3 Troy oz. Packing & Shipping:  I pack all my items with the utmost care and in a way which, if I was the buyer, I would want to receive them myself. I have seven years’ experience packing and shipping ceramics and glass and other fragile items, always double-boxed, and always carefully protected and firmly padded to prevent looseness and movement. Just a quick glance at my feedback should set your mind at rest, as many buyers are kind enough to mention how pleased they were with the way their item was packed. So feel free to bid with assurance, and of course I stand by my guarantee to accept returns as per the conditions set out below. There are no hidden extra charges. You pay the sale price plus actual shipping as shown in the shipping calculator below. There are no handling charges. I will gladly combine shipping for multiple purchases. Buyer pays shipping on highest item, all others shipped free!   Member of the Glass and Pottery Sellers' Association.   On Jul-09-07 at 18:53:03 PDT, seller added the following information: Place a Bid!