I have looked all over this item but I cant tell if it has any marks other than Mappin
Brothers 222 Regent Street and London Bridge and a Sun with rays and a face on top
of the makers name. There is a signature and some numbers scratched on one of the trays. There is a Mappin Brothers mark on the bottom of the tureen, and on one tray.
Is this Silverplate? It tarnishes black to me. What is this thing anyway? . [/b]
Hi Ethelred2, thanks for joining us on silver-collector.com.
Firstly, can you tell me the size of the item? It looks to me to be a revolving top butter dish, the removable trays are so butter can be kept in the fridge. However if it is larger than say 8 inches wide, then it is not a butter dish, but a breakfast dish, something used to keep hot food warm on a side-table for buffets etc.
The item itself is silver plate, the sun mark was the silver plate mark that Mappin Brothers started to use in 1850. To give a better indication of age, the ‘222 Regent Street and London Bridge’ mark, was the shop mark that Mappin Brothers struck onto plate between 1863 and 1894. I would guess that the item was made circa 1880 looking at the chased decoration on the lid.
If you let me know an idea of its size I can confirm which it is.
Thanks again and I hope this helps
Daniel Franks
Thank you very much for your response. It is 14" wide by 9" . The legs are 4.5" high.
I think my mother said my grandmother used it to keep her homemade dinner rolls warm. It looks to me like it could be for fish or scrambled eggs and bacon. It would be ideal for breakfast. The top has a falcon and a crest on it. Do you know how much this kind of thing is worth?
Hi again, thanks for getting back to me.
The size of the item tells me that it is a breakfast dish, and as you say it would be perfect for keeping bacon or eggs warm! I believe they are also reffered to as rev dishes, I guess short for revolving dishes 
The price of these things varies due to condidtion, but I would expect you could sell it for around £150.
Again I hope this helps. Please tell people about our site, and we hope to hear from you again soon.
All the best
Daniel Franks
Thanks very much. Mary.