hard mineral frog with Stylized F, St. Petersburg | ||
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Posted 9 years ago
janiekay
(1 item)
Bought this at an auction of English antiques about 20 years ago. Love the detail. Made of hard mineral with crystalline texture. One jewel eye that shows. The bottom has a metal plaque marked with a stylized F and St. Petersburg, 1882. 2 inches long , about 1 1/2 inches tall. Weighs 4 oz. Would love some info.
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The third picture has something written on the base I cannot make it out could you let us know so we have something to work off. Thank you the more information we have the better we might be able to help.
I have one of these frogs, purchased at an auction in the South of England approximately 20 years ago too! Did you ever find out about it and it's value?
Here's a link to something to think about:
http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20841/lot/130/
It may help! I hope! :^)
Wouldn't that be nice!
Hi Judy,
I can't make out much of the original poster's photos. All of them are out of focus. Would you consider creating a new post with your frog as the main attraction? I doubt that janiekay will be back, and I'd like to see this piece.
Did you get any information about it when you purchased yours? btw CW doesn't offer appraisals, so if that's what you wanted, I'm sorry.
Here's one on worthpoint:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/st-petersburg-russian-1882-frog-toad-514550091
I don't have a membership so cant see price though! :^)
Thanks Bill, me neither. Gillian, I have posted my frog, unfortunately the pics are upside down but they should be clear.
I am back. The plaque on the bottom says St. Petersburg with a stylized letter F and 1882. Was told by someone that they may have been sold as souvenirs.
If anyone is reading this after all this time, thought I'd add the little I know, which is that this is a mass-produced resin item that has nothing to do with St. Petersburg & certainly not with Faberge.
For some reason the maker of these frogs, several models of cameos, little trinket boxes & wall plaques in relief that look just like marble or bronze, did not want their name to be known. Most items are unmarked; what seem to be indications of the maker on some pieces are spurious. Research into them is either fruitless or takes you off on an unrelated tangent.
If you start with this cameo:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/67093-false-full-body-antique-victorian-carved?in=696-liked-all-time
you have one end of a thread that goes next to little boxes, often mistaken for carved amber, that have this cameo on the lid & on the bottom an inscription most often read as 'T.P. Danbiere Paris', although the more you look at it, the more it could be T.D. or Danbeine or Donbeine. The only really clear part is the Paris. From there you go to a beautiful plaque that appears to be veined white marble. It also say 'T.P. Danbiere Paris' on it, as well as Exposition Universelle 1889. This plaque comes in at least 2 flavors: some with a medal inset on the back that was made for the exposition; others with a medal that was made to commemorate the visit of Peter the Great to the Paris Mint in 1717.
Other faux marble & faux bronze plaques are also set with these or other medals. Some of them have this one with the F & St. Petersburg, which links them to this frog & others like it.
Fakes, very, very convincing fakes, every last one of them. Not antique. My best guess is 1960s. For more:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/season/3/louisville-ky/appraisals/fake-ew-wyon-plaques--199803A04/
and [URL="https://www.antiquers.com/threads/numismatic-fraud-mystery.31383/"]Numismatic Fraud Mystery[/URL]
Last link above should work as https://www.antiquers.com/threads/numismatic-fraud-mystery.31383
What's disappointing is seeing a professional auctioneer handling a piece with this F/1882/St Petersburg tag assume it must be Russian & 19th century without taking other features into consideration.