Silver U-Boat clasp first model opinons?

[km-spain]

Hello all, I need you opinion about this one, thaks in advance

[km-spain]

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[Norm F]

Hi Eduardo,

Certainly an odd looking example that is bound to raise some doubts, but based on the limited photos my first impression is an original zinc clasp that has been completely stripped, possibly by a combination of chemical, ultrasonic and abrasive methods?

When you look closely there is disturbing pitting on the reverse and abrasions beside the hinge that wipe out part of the maker mark; neither of these should happen during manufacture or normal wear. The clefts in the outer margins look like the typical fracture marks sometimes produced as an artifact of striking and don't look like a casting seam. The hardware looks correct, albeit polished.

A tricky one, but I haven't seen a fake that gets so many details correct (so far, anyway). Certainly one to keep on file in case something similar shows up.

Best regards,
---Norm

[John R.]

Eduardo,

Are you buying this one, selling or what? Helps to put the reason for your interest in this one as we consider the clasp, at least I think it does. John

[John R.]

Norm,

You are not quite clear in your post. Are you postulating that this was a bronze example that has been stripped down to the zinc base metal and polished?

Or do you believe it is a true silver first pattern clasp?

I believe it is a period first pattern clasp, silver or bronze at this point I am not sure.

Here is the front and back of a silver frontspange first pattern to compare. John

[John R.]

Note the very similar separation in both examples along the edge. John

[John R.]

I want to be clear, I have no idea if you chemically stripped a bronze example to base metal if it would look like this or not. All I am saying is that I think it is a first pattern clasp. John

[John R.]

The example I posted has far more detail in most every respect but that is just confirming the wear or polishing or something of the OP clasp. John

[km-spain]

Thanks for your comments, I asked yiu because I was thinking in buy it and I like it, but something looks me not 100% ok with it

[John R.]

Well, I still think it is OK, but somebody overdid polishing perhaps. Perhaps it was bubbling, who knows?

What is bothering you about it?

John

[John R.]

I think these silver first pattern examples were very fragile for some reason, most probably, since they were so early and worn so long. John

[BubbaZ]

IMO this is original silver clasp that was cleaned and polished. Abrasions behind the hinge may result from resoldering of the hinge? Usually there is a lot of solder around the hinge but in this case the hinge is soldered very neatly.
Cheers,
Hubert