I’m new to this site so please forgive the bad photo (I’ll post a better one later). I was given this teapot about 20 years ago and there was no real story about its past. The only marking is “800” on the bottom. It has a weird mix of cherubs, goat faces (my kids say they’re devils), and cloven hooves for feet. I was told by one “expert” that it was German, while another said it was Mexican. Other than that, I have no clue. Any help at this point would be greatly appreciated.
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Hi Rick and thanks for joining us. “800” usually indicates the purity of the silver, or 80% silver and 20% another metal, normally copper. A good bit of German silver is of the 800 purity, but typically German silver has maker’s marks and town marks as will. Most Mexican silver is 92.5% silver, or “sterling” silver, with a small amount being 95%. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any “800” Mexican silver, although I’ve seen some 75%.
Without a maker’s mark or some other identification, it is going to be difficult to place your pot. The design does “look Mexican” to me however.
Regards,
Uncle Vic