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Hello,

I recently purchased this pretty little piece at an estate sale for $5.00 and have not been able to figure out what it is. It is a small footed cup that appears to be made of silver and slag glass but I am not sure. It measures 1 3/4'' tall by 2'' wide. I was wondering if anyone here could help to identify this piece. I would like to know what it is and what it was used for. Thanks in advance.

Similar metal-clad pieces I've seen in the past usually have been made in Hong Kong, but they could be made elsewhere in China nowadays. The apocryphal marks read "Made during the Guangxu Reign (光緒年製 - Guangxu Nian Zhi) and "Pure Silver" (足銀 - Zu Yin). This item, in the form of a censer, is contemporary, and even in the best of times, Asian silver seldom exceeds 80-percent.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Thank you Bill. So I'm assuming it not worth much more than the $5.00 I paid for it?

I believe your assumption is correct, as the item is rather rough. Here's a picture of what might be called a "High End" example of this type of work. Probably also assembled in Hong Kong around the 3rd quarter of the 20th century from transfer-decorated Chinese porcelain that was processed locally and clad with die-cast and machine-stamped metal. It is put together and polished somewhat more carefully. but even though it looks fairly good at a distance, the closer one looks the more the rough edges show. Worth about $30-$40 as a decorative item I would think.

Best regards,

Bill H.

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