A hallmark is the distinguishing feature that allows those who appreciate fine silver to immediately identify – and authenticate – the origins of silver creations. For collectors of Georg Jensen’s fine pieces, it is important to recognize and understand the various marks used by one of history’s leading silver craftsmen. Creations from the design studios of Georg Jensen may feature one of several silver marks. These marks have changed throughout the years, so familiarizing yourself allows you to identify not only which pieces are genuine, but also when pieces were created, giving you a more comprehensive idea of their history.

The Jensen marks can be broken down into several main categories: early marks, 1920s, Pin Prick Marks, GJ Squares, the Wendel Mark, the Post 1945 marks and newer marks.

Early Marks: Typically feature “GJ” or “GI”, sometimes intertwining. (1904 to 1919)

1920s: These marks usually have “Georg Jensen” spelled out in full inside a crown-festooned oval. (1925 to 1932)

Pin Prick Marks: During the 30s, this mark also featured Jensen’s name engraved in full within a plain oval. (1930s)

GJ Squares: These marks bear a simple “GJ” in stylized lettering within a square. (1933 to 1944)

Post 1945 Marks: Similar to the Pin Prick Marks, works from this period display Jensen’s full name within a plain oval. However, the key difference here is that Post 1945 marks were stamped, and not engraved. (1945 to 1947)

The Wendel Mark: Wendel A/S, Nils Wendel was a Swedish Art Dealer based in Stockholm who had a tremendous enthusiasm for Georg Jensen designs, to the extent that he would literally come to Copenhagen and buy up every piece available. He soon started selling these items in his Stockholm shop. Ultimately he became a major investor when Georg Jensen needed financing to expand; in 1918 a shop was opened in Ostergade that was own jointly by Jensen and Wendel.

This mark was also used in the chaotic post WW II period, 1945 -51 when there was a major legal battle raging regarding Jensen Denmark and Jensen USA, which was a chain of shops opened in major cities where Georg Jensen had started to open shops in in Europe as well as the US prior to WW II When production in Denmark came to a halt during the war years, the Jensen USA shops contracted US silversmiths to manufacture silver and it was sold in the US shops with the Georg Jensen name. Until Jensen Denmark prevailed in 1951, the Jensen Wendel A/S mark was used to distinguish the authentic Georg Jensen Silver crafted in Denmark from that being sold in the US with the stamp Jensen USA.

Newer Marks: Since 1977, the Georg Jensen Company has used the Post 1945 mark enhanced by the addition of the Swedish dating code, which makes it easy to pinpoint the year of origin for newer pieces.