1800's or 1900's Silver Epaulettes

[dirtdudeaz]

Hello,

I wanted to get opinions as to the origin and time period.

In my research so far, it looks like they may be during the Napoleonic time period of Italy.  They are tarnished a bit, but they are silver, all metal, and on the back, say "Unione Militare Napoli".  Here is a link to ones that look almost identical to what I have. https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9727539_napoleonic-sterling-silver-military-epaulettes

What do you guys think?

 

[peter monahan]

Nice find.  I know a very little about the Napoleonic poeriod, mostly from the British side, and I'm a little surprised to see a stamped name plate/maker's mark on soemthing that early.  I have no Italian, bar a few rude words,  but the name 'Neapolitan Military Union' suggests a group or company to me, rather than a military unit.

I wonder if these might have been made for a military academy or something similar which wore/wears period uniforms.  However, if they are the same as the pair you tagged on the web site, they're valuable and you should get some expert advice.  Try speaking to a reputable auction house: send them the photos and ask what they think.  Knowing where they came from might be important too.  Good luck and let us know what you find out.

[dirtdudeaz]

That's a good though; thank you. I sent a couple emails to the sites/auction houses I found those on, so hopefully they eventually get back to me! I will come back and update the thread when I found out more.

[dirtdudeaz]

I heard back from one of the 4/5 auction houses I sent pictures to.

They were under the impression that these are from the early 1900's for the Italian infantry officer.  More specifically, for a second lieutenant's (sublieutenant/ sottotenente) parade wear.  They said the "Unione Militare Napoli" is the trade seller's mark/signature and are fairly common. 

It's interesting, I have searched all over using Italian terms (spaline/sottenente/etc...) and have come across only a couple other examples.  So, if these are so common, maybe they are as common as chewing gum, and people aren't selling them at auction or on websites such as eBay, or maybe they meant common as in lower rank officer, and only the higher ranked officers are less common.

Either way, they are a cool piece over 100 years old, and I probably will leave them un-polished and try to sell them eventually, or polish them up and keep them as a conversation piece.

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

these is exactly a pair of epaulettes for the dress uniform of an Infantry (or Carabinieri) 2nd Lieutenant.

They were in use until the outbreak of WW2; the "Unione Militare" was a series of stores where any officer and NCO could buy all types of articles for his uniform, etc. In this case, the epaulettes were sold in the Naples's store.

Sorry to say, they are not rare. It existed a "luxurious" type in silver, easily recognizable for the "800" silver marks struck close to the upper, double button bar.

Best wishes,

Enzo (E.L.)