Fabulous & rare antique French .800 (nearly sterling) silver 5pc writer's desk set including silver topped cut crystal inkwell, wax seal or sceau, dip pen, paper knife (scraper/eraser) and page turner, all with an elegant ever-so-French bow & ribbon pattern and all beautifully kept in the original fitted storage and/or presentation box! Superb! It always seems hard to find lovely old French sterling silver inkwells and, when we do, they usually sell quickly. This quite rare in that it's French AND the set includes all of the desk top or writer's accoutrement and all still in the original box. All pieces bear the tiny French boar's head hallmark, the marking designated for smaller pieces in at least .800 silver (at least 80% pure silver and common in smaller pieces due to the added strength the slightly lower silver content provides). There is also an extremely tiny silversmith mark that's nearly illegible but might be for Armand Gross, Paris circa 1893. A wonderful gift for the writer in your family OR, a fabulous ensemble for the inkwell & desk top items collectors. Don't miss it!
Very good to excellent condition. There is a chip to the crystal inkwell, bottom rear left corner and a tiny nip or two elsewhere. The page turner's blade has a very slight bend to it. There is no nib on the pen but we do have some extra old ones here and I'll see if we have one that will fit before mailing. Some rust and/or corrosion to the paper knife's blade. There is no monogram on the wax seal. The box is in fine shape with just some surface marks evidencing its age. No other damage to note. See pictures for all measurements.
