I have a beautiful Illinois Bunn Special 1898 pocket watch, it’s gold color, the case is from Margot Bros (MB), with the lion passant mark. Usually that represents sterling, but MB was a Boston co. If anyone wants to see photos to assess better here is my email. Xcsb1972x@cox.net. Thank you for any help
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Lion Passant Gold or not? by: Bob
While some sterling silver cases which are marked with Lion Passant marks will have a gold wash on them, it is usually easy to tell silver cases apart from gold cases as the interior case surface is usually white silver color if you have a case made of a sterling silver . If you have an antique Gold pocket watch case marked with a Lion Passant it is most likely an early American pocket watch. Early American watch makers often marked their Solid 14K Gold cases with a Lion Passant. The best way to confirm the gold content would be to also do a scratch tile acid test using 14K Gold test acid. Never apply test acid directly on a pocket watch case!
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Antique Pocket Watch by: Anonymous
Thanks for writing in with the following hallmark question:
"Hello, I have an antique Swiss made ZENITH smaller size pocket watch. It's beautiful ornate case looks solid pink gold to my eye but the only marking inside the case is lion passant which we usually find on sterling silver. Is this really gold? Thanks for help. Regards, Marcus."
