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KOKOSHNIK
Kokoshnik is a traditional Russian head-dress worn
by women and girls. It is tied at the back of the head
with long thick ribbons in a large bow. During the
revival of Russian national culture in the late 19th
century, these diadem-shaped tiaras became part of the
official court dress for royalty and ladies-in-waiting.
A woman head wearing the Kokoshnik inside contours of
various shapes was used from 1899 to mark Russian
silver. These marks are commonly known as "Kokoshnik".
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KOKOSHNIK MARKS 1899 - 1908
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In 1896 was introduced a mark with a female head silhouette
facing left and silvers fineness expressed in zolotnicki inside
an oval oblong or a circular cartouche. On the right side were inscribed the
assayer's initials in Cyrillic characters.
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Anatoly Apollonovich
Artsybashev, Vilnius
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A. Riktera,
St.Petersburg
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Alexander Romanov,
St.Petersburg
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Alexander Virjohovsky,
Kiev
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Ivan Lebedkin,
Moscow
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I. Sorotkin,
Odessa
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Kliment Anikievich
Zagaewsky, Vilnius,
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Liba Oleksa,
Kiev
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Yakor Lyapunov,
St.Petersburg
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OTHER ASSAYERS:
AC
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A. Solodihova, Kostroma,
1899-1905
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G. Bichkova, Kostroma, 1899
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Ivan Ado, Kazan, 1899-1908
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Yakov Lyapimov, St.
Petersburg, 1899-1903
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Joseph Shmidyevsky, Tiflis,
1903-1904
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Fyedor Konovolov, Rostov,
1899-1908
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KOKOSHNIK MARKS 1908 - 1926
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In 1908 was introduced a new mark with a more detailed
female head facing right and silver fineness expressed in
zolotnicki inside an oval oblong cartouche. The left side was
inscribed with the town/region symbol.
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St.Petersburg
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Moscow
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Kiev
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Warsaw
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St.Petersburg (88 zol.)
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Moscow export 84 zol.
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Moscow export 88 zol.
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The town or Region symbol was on the left of the oval
cartouche expressed in a letter of the Greek alphabet :
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St.Petersburg Alfa
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Moscow Delta
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Warsaw Iota
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Odessa Kappa
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Kiev Ni
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Caucasus Omicron
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Vilnius Pi
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Riga Sigma
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Kostroma Tau
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Kazan Ypsilon
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Don Chi
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Besides the oval mark, was available also a circular
kokoshnik mark struck as a garniture mark on small items or on
auxiliary parts of an ensemble en suite.
Here the assay office was indicated by a Morse-code like series
of dots and dashes around the perimeter of the mark.
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St.Petersburg
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Moscow
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Odessa
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Kiev
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Caucasus
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Vilensk
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Riga
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Kostroma
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Kazan
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Don
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Other Kokoshnik marks used in the period 1908-1926
FAKE Kokoshnik mark
Russian silver is highly appreciated by collectors and antiques'
market is invaded by a wide production of modern forgeries made
in Poland, Ukraine, Romany, Hungary and other East European
countries. They bear counterfeit Imperial Russia marks. This is
an evident example of fake Kokoshnik 1908-1926 mark.
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LATE 20th CENTURY KOKOSHNIK
MARKS |
The Kokoshnik mark (1908-1926 version) was reinstated in
1985 creating some confusion in the dating of Russian silver and
opening the way to the possibility of deliberate falsification.
More recently the kokoshnik mark was slightly modified assuming
a rounder contour than the pre-Revolutionary form.
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Late 20th Century
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