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Dueber Case Marking help! "Click" to Login or Register 
posted
I was wondering if this case is be gold or gold filled. Since I see no assay marking I'm leaning toward the gold filled side Frown

 
Posts: 1499 | Location: Rancho Cucamonga, California USA | Registered: December 20, 2006
IHC Vice President
Pitfalls Moderator
IHC Life Member
Picture of Edward L. Parsons, Jr.
posted
There's not even a karat reference, so I'd be inclined to agree with you Ray. If it has a cuvette, you could perform the legendary "flex test" on it.

"An easy way to tell is to take the cuvette or the back of the case and VERY GENTLY squeeze or flex it. On a solid gold case, the case back or cuvette will give just slightly. On a gold filled or gold plated case, there is no give."

The reason for this is that gold has an elastic modulus about 20% lower than that of brass, so a solid gold cuvette will be noticeably springier than a filled or plated cuvette.


Best Regards,

Ed
 
Posts: 6696 | Location: Southwestern Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: April 19, 2004
IHC Life Member

Picture of Jerry King
posted
I can't tell what is in the shield beneath DUEBER....If it is an anchor and engraved it is Gold Filled or if it is raised, it is solid gold....

Regards,

Jerry
 
Posts: 2828 | Location: California in the USA | Registered: June 23, 2008
IHC Life Member
Picture of Richard M. Jones
posted
Ray I collect Hampden watches and Dueber cases (hold the laughter please) and if that anchor is raised I am sure it is solid and probably 14k. John Dueber made his reputation as a case maker and did make excellent cases of all sorts of materials, in fact his marked "railway" cases are excellent examples of the case makers art. I have seen any number of cases mistakenly represented as solid gold and several case companies seem to have at least made the misrepresentation easy. However I have never seen a Dueber raised (not incised) anchor case that was not solid gold. Regards.


Deacon
 
Posts: 1004 | Location: Omaha, Nebraska in the USA | Registered: February 14, 2009
Picture of Martin Wagner
posted
Definitely not an anchor.

Perhaps a lion.........?

Marty

 
Posts: 420 | Location: Alabama in the USA | Registered: January 26, 2012
IHC Life Member

Picture of Jerry King
posted
Deacon, I too collect Dueber cases and I don't care if there is any laughter.... Big Grin

I especially like his coin silver cases and I agree with you that his cases are superb and superior to some other mfg'rs....

Regards,

Jerry
 
Posts: 2828 | Location: California in the USA | Registered: June 23, 2008
IHC President
Life Member
Picture of Lindell V. Riddle
posted

Just like my friends Deacon and Jerry I collect these Smile with pride.

Here is an interesting advertisement that was featured on page 77 of the Ehrhardt Trade Mark book from the 1970s which is unfortunately long-out-of-print. One of the items on my very long "to-do" list is publishing portions of that book and making it freely available to everyone on our web-space.

The advertisement below from 1904 explains Dueber markings at that point in time.


Dueber-Hampden 1904 Case Advertisement...


 
Posts: 10553 | Location: Northeastern Ohio in the USA | Registered: November 19, 2002
IHC Life Member

Picture of Jerry King
posted
Here are a few more markings that will identify a Dueber case....

Hopefully, Lindell will resize this scan....I don't know how to do that yet....

Thanks, in advance, Lindell....

Regards,

Jerry

 
Posts: 2828 | Location: California in the USA | Registered: June 23, 2008
posted
Thanks everyone, The stamp is definitely an anchor like the illustrations show, but does not appear to be raised. The front cover has a 14k marking stamped well above the Dueber mark and was most certainly crudely stamped at a later date. The cuvette does in fact flex easier than the other gold filled cases I have so I think I will need to have it tested to be sure.
It houses a nice N size Howard movement and when I purchased it 20 or so years ago it was purported to be a 14k solid gold case.
Boy, I sure wish I had the internet and the IHC 185 back then, could have save me many times over as the information was just not as easy to get as it is now.

 
Posts: 1499 | Location: Rancho Cucamonga, California USA | Registered: December 20, 2006
Picture of Martin Wagner
posted
That's a better angle, and I now agree 100% as to its being an anchor, sort of a lazy one as one is use to seeing anchors straight up. Great news.

Marty

 
Posts: 420 | Location: Alabama in the USA | Registered: January 26, 2012
IHC Member 1610
Picture of Harry J. Hyaduck Sr.
posted
Well I guess I can come out of the closet now if other Dueber Hampden collectors are admitting it. I may have had too much to drink (and I don't drink) but it looks like an anchor in the shield to me. It looks like the 14k gold filled symbol on page 37 of the 2011 Price Guide.

Or maybe I have been looking at those hidden pictures too much.
 
Posts: 3858 | Location: Georgia in the USA | Registered: September 22, 2011
posted
Yes Harry, sad to say but I'm almost positive that it is in fact the gold filled mark. With the 14k marking above it obviously put there to deceive.
Strange though that it shows signs of heavy wear on the ridged edges but no signs of wear thru. In fact, there is no evident sign of "brassing" anyplace but the bow, which looks to be a replacement.
 
Posts: 1499 | Location: Rancho Cucamonga, California USA | Registered: December 20, 2006
posted
Ray still a chance that it is 10K especially if you can flex the covers or if there are dents to the case. Look for any signs of wear through, but an easy acid test with the proper 10K acid will tell for sure.
 
Posts: 357 | Location: Foster City, California USA | Registered: August 06, 2007
posted
Thank you Gene, I will have it tested to be sure.
 
Posts: 1499 | Location: Rancho Cucamonga, California USA | Registered: December 20, 2006
IHC Member 1610
Picture of Harry J. Hyaduck Sr.
posted
Ray I had a case that was marked 14k and you could bend the cuvette just looking at it to hard. I would have sworn it was solid gold but it did have wear through but it was not brass. It appeared to be copper which is softer than brass and explained why the cuvette bent so easily.
 
Posts: 3858 | Location: Georgia in the USA | Registered: September 22, 2011
IHC President
Life Member
Picture of Lindell V. Riddle
posted

The original factory markings on Ray's case are in line with Dueber Gold-Filled cases. That non-original "14K" was, as Ray deduced added there in order to deceive. Compare the ads Jerry and I posted, compare the various ads in this topic... "Dueber-Hampden Advertisements" on both pages as I added some on page 2 of that same topic today. Then finally compare the feel and weight with other cases, the more cases you handle the more you will understand.

Please, everyone, be very, very careful about so-called "tests" for gold content as they can do irreparable damage not only to the case but to bright metal on the movement. Unless it is used with great care and only inside the case in an inconspicuous place the acid burns can be very serious. Things like that are done by gold-scrappers, not by collectors. We are collectors, we are preserving these artifacts for the future. The greed of short-term gain is destroying important historical items.


When the covers can be easily flexed, the case is almost invariably gold. If it were Gold-Filled, which is a layer of gold over either side of brass, the brass is usually stiff enough to keep the cover from flexing, gold cases are soft. By the way I do not think we will find copper watch cases, what Harry observed is likely brass. When the gold is rubbed off on a gold plated or Gold-Filled case the brass underneath can look like shiny gold at first but left exposed it will turn a shade of brownish color not unlike a worn doorknob or other brass item in your house.

Click: Find-Or-Search for "flex test" which has more observations.

Hope this information is of help.

Lindell

Wink
 
Posts: 10553 | Location: Northeastern Ohio in the USA | Registered: November 19, 2002
IHC Life Member
Picture of Richard M. Jones
posted
I am certain the 14k on the case was added latter to deceive. It is fairly crude and I have seen some cases and several movements where some dishonest person tried to upgrade the value. Lin has a good point as many good quality gold filled cases will show as solid on some tests but in fact are gold filled. I do not know if acid is the only sure testing method but do know of electronically tested solid gold cases that were not solid gold. Does anyone know of a non invasive tester that is always reliable?


Deacon
 
Posts: 1004 | Location: Omaha, Nebraska in the USA | Registered: February 14, 2009
IHC Life Member

Picture of Jerry King
posted
Deacon, I had a scrapper tell me, awhile back, that the only way to tell for sure was his way of testing, I asked him how he tested and he said to put it in the pot and see what floated....

I didn't think that was too funny either....

The acid method is pretty reliable but as Lin says, one should be very careful of where the test is conducted on the case....I think it should only be done on the inside of the case frame, out of sight, but that requires removal of the movement....if, however, there is no movement installed will make it so much easier....

Regards,

Jerry
 
Posts: 2828 | Location: California in the USA | Registered: June 23, 2008
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