Expert: Martin G Roberts - 6/18/2007

Question
QUESTION: I have a cat ornament that I have been told is made out of pewter.  It has the numbers 956 stamped into it. Can you tell me what these number indicate?  Thanks so much.

ANSWER: -

Either a pattern number or a serial number. It's unlikely to be old.

Martin
www.antique-metalware.co.uk

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Could a number like that indicate silver the piece being silver?  Is pewter ever marked like silver is? i.e. 925 indicates sterling could 956 indicate tin content?

Answer
-

No. Sometimes modern reproductions are marked with "90%", indicating the tin content, but tin is not a precious metal, so there would never be any significance in measuring the alloy composition to a 10th of a percentage point.

It's just a number. That's all, nothing more, no mystery.