Please HELP with Eva Braun Silverware

[DKNYC71]

Dear Fellow Forum Members,

I would greatly appreciate your help with the following 3 items of Eva Braun's silverware and calling card. Are these items authentic? They surfaced from an old collection. The calling card is a simple card with nothing printed other than her name. All three items of silverware have silver marks, and only the knife has a maker mark on it. Thank you kindly in advance for all your valued opinions!

Regards,
Dave.

[DKNYC71]

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[praubal]

No value I'm afraid....everything silver is being EB'D these days....and looks like a prontoprint card.

[DKNYC71]

So are these items not authentic, and are reproductions? I am not sure I understand your reply. Thanks

[Br. James]

Hi Dave,

As with all pieces of 'Eva Braun' tableware, the first question must always be: What is the provenance for these pieces? Unlike the Formal and Informal Patterns made for Hitler, and the formal service made for Ribbentrop's Foreign Ministry in Berlin, there is no accepted standard for most of the other Nazi silverware we've seen since 1945. From the great variety of styles, lettering and silver content found on pieces purporting to be from one or other of the Nazi dignitaries' homes or offices, it is clear (at least to me) that what we have seen since the end of WWII and what the GIs brought back home from their time in service in Europe, numerous pieces and sets of silverware were created for many of the NSDAP leadership as personal gifts for birthdays and holidays, and these have no relationship to what we know as the "Formal" and "Informal" silver services made for Hitler.

It is believed that the logo on your pieces -- known as the "Eva Braun Butterfly Initials Pattern" -- was originally drawn by Albert Speer and that he may have even ordered a set of silverware for her, bearing this logo, as a gift, but many pieces of silverware bearing the "Butterfly" logo, engraved onto various styles of tableware in a number of different silver contents as well as stainless steel, have turned up in collections, GIs' footlockers and on dealers' tables over the last seven decades -- and that only addresses the Eva Braun patterns. Hitler himself received many personal gifts of silverware over the years -- as sets of one implement or full table services in .800, .900, .925 and .935 silver content -- and the other major NSDAP, military and governmental personalities did, too. These silver pieces are in the same category as handmade pillows and many other cloth items which the German public lavished upon their beloved leaders...to mention only a small portion of the presents they each received.

From what we see in your photos, there are two different tableware patterns here: the fork and spoon are of one pattern while the knife is of a similar but slightly different pattern. The fork is stainless steel, the spoon is of .800 solid silver, and the knife's blade is of stainless steel while it's handle is of .800 solid silver. Interesting combinations, not found in one service!

But back to the beginning: What is the provenance for these pieces?

Br. James

[DKNYC71]

Thank you very much Br. James for your detailed explanation. The provenance on these is nothing special or noteworthy. All that I know is that it came from a collector who is now deceased. That means absolutely nothing as it relates to "provenance". I do not know anything about these type of items which is why I posted them here for comments. I would not have been surprised one way or another as far as authenticity is concerned. I had these to review and wanted to conduct my diligence prior to making a decision of acquiring them. From your well informed explanation and review of them, it is obvious that they are not worth pursuing. I very much appreciate your time and attention to my inquiry!

[Br. James]

Hi again, Dave,

I apologize if I've given you the impression that these silver pieces are reproductions; that was not the intention of my response. To my mind -- and since there is apparently no way of knowing the background of these particular articles, given that the original collector is now deceased -- the only thing that can be known about them is that they appear to be of the type of tableware designed for Eva Braun which she received as gifts during the later years of her brief lifetime. That understood, the question then becomes: How much is the current owner asking for these pieces? Once that is established, then one would want to know how much similar articles -- also without provenance -- are being sold for on the internet by dealers and auction houses. With these two figures in hand...or in mind...is it reasonable to pursue these three pieces for the price asked?

Best of luck,

Br. James

[CPB]

EB tableware is notoriously faked and all over ebay other places. It's actually a shame as legit pieces are definitely out there in amongst the trash, but I don't think anyone really knows what's 100% real now.

[Br. James]

No question about that, CPB. The problem is that the EB monogram is so simple it's easy to fake, and since all of the EB tableware pieces were privately purchased -- probably at local jewelry stores -- there is not the same pedigree possible for her silverware as compared with the AH Formal and Informal Tableware Patterns, both solely produced by the firm of P. Bruckmann & Sons of Heilbronn, or the AH Formal Pattern on serving trays, platters and plates of all sorts, or on vases, solid silver boxes, bowls and other associated tableware as produced by the firm of August Wellner's Sons located in the village of Aue in Sachsen. The Wellner firm also produced tableware for Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler and a number of other prominent Nazis.

Just as you say, there are legitimate examples of original Eva Braun silverware out there, bearing her distinctive "Butterfly" monogram, and it's a shame that those pieces are lost amid the 'contamination' of faked pieces.

Br. James

[DKNYC71]

Br James & CPB, thank you both very much for your valued input and education on the subject matter. Much appreciated!