I made a cursory look thru Tardy's - the '2' under the lion was a mark used in the Netherlands 1814-1953 indicating a purity of .833, meaning that it is 83.3% pure silver. I can't see the other marks clearly enough to say what they indicate but the year mark for 1910 should be a capital 'A' in a circle. Presumably the other mark represents the town where it was made. If you can get clearer photos of the marks, maybe we can give a more accurate i.d.

In my above post, I forgot to say that it looks like a bread basket rather than a bon bon dish but it probably depends on the size - photos can be so deceiving without dimensions - & the Dutch version of serving ware fashion! A bread tray/basket is usually about 10-12" long whereas a bon bon is just a glorified candy dish, usually with a much smaller diameter than a bread tray.

LOL! I was going to say it's a nut bowl....
As aniquesilver says...it's a matter of size...
But it's very nice no matter what!
Good eye!
Linda C

It's a lovely little dish & a wonderful buy. Your other posts says that it's 5" x 2" tall - somehow it looks so much bigger in the photo. Linda may be right about it being for nuts, or maybe mints.

If you can't get a clearer picture, try describing the marks or drawing them freehand & photographing.

Here's a hand drawn representation....art wasn't one of my most favourite subjects :)

{{gwi:1383706}}

I even messed the drawing up. The first figure is in a round circle, and the figure should be drawn going horizontal and not vertical!

Date letters started in 1814, with an upper case Old English-type font between 1885 & 1909 (no 'I'). To me, your first mark looks like an 'L' for 1895, or possibly an 'X' for 1907. I don't find any town mark like the 3rd one & it's unclear when they ceased being used; most of the info relates to items prior to 1814. A guess is that it's the maker's mark but I don't who that might be.

Just a question: when you say ($0), do you mean you acquired that for *free*?

I paid zilch, nada, zip, zero....it was on the "Free" table. I saw a couple of people look at it and put it back. Must admit, it doesn't look very "pretty" with the tarnish. I think "bright, shiny, chrome" stuff attracts more people. But, if one is willing to use a bit of elbow grease, ~ well, what can I say?

:)

Hi, me again, just wondering if this piece would be considered silver-plated, or sterling silver? I'm assuming that because it isn't marked "Sterling" that it isn't. Sorry for all the questions, but I really, really am learning from you folks. Thanks so much for your time and patience :)

p.s. I tried, one more time, to get a photo of the date mark.

{{gwi:1383708}}

Sterling means that a piece is "through and through" silver that is 925 parts out of 1000 parts pure silver.
Silver plated is brass or copper or some other base metal which has a layer of silver on top, for show. The silver can be a layer of pure silver which is rolled out on a sheet and the item made from that, or the item can be made and then electroplated with a thin coating of silver.
What you have, if the assessment of the marks is correct, it an item that is through and through silver, but not 925 out of 1000 pure but only 883 parts out of 1000 is pure silver.
Not sterling quality....but nothing to sneeze at for sure.
Linda C

I found a website that contains some Dutch Hallmarks - perhaps you can find some info here.
Pat

Here is a link that might be useful: Dutch Hallmarks

Linda is correct in that the piece is not sterling but it is a silver alloy & considered 'solid silver' as opposed to silverplate.
This is the page with the date marks:
{{gwi:1383709}}
'X' for 1907

Let us know which date mark best describes the mark on your dish. I can't believe your good fortune in getting this for free!

Well, I'd have to say you negotiated a very good price on that there item :) Seriously, I do like the clean lines of it and I'd want it even if it's not 100% silver.