About Michelle Lieberman Expertise My expertise is in the area of American sterling silver and coin silver flatware and holloware, including identifying silversmiths and makers, types and patterns of flatware and their usage. I am unable to answer questions pertaining to silverplate or foreign silver.
Experience With over 25 years experience in selling vintage silver, I now devote much of my time educating others in this field.
Education/Credentials BA California State University Los Angeles
I have asked this on several different sites and keep getting the same answer.. I have a Oneida Coffee or tea pot. Is a little fatter at bottom. This beautiful silver color is unlike the silver color in silver plated Oneida items I have seen. On the very bottom it says ONEIDA in cursive. There are no other markings on this that I can find. I searched every inch of this piece and can not find silver plated, Silver/copper the crest Oneida/ Rogers mark or any kind of markings nothing at all. 10" tall by measuring the square base which is footed.3&1/2" by the same all the way around. How can I tell the difference. It does not look like the other silver plated material and also was told it was a elderly mans grandmothers set.He is probably 75 years young at the time I received it.. if you would like a picture of the Oneida on bottom please email me if needed.
Answer Hello Sandra.
I can't tell you what it is, but I can tell you what it isn't. I can say with 100% certainty is that is is not "real silver". Almost all American sterling is marked either Sterling or 925 or 925/1000. The only and very few exceptions to this is to sterling items made before 1906 (and possibly coin silver items, but we're talking about dates much earlier). Oneida didn't produce anthing in sterling prior to 1914, so this would not be one of the "unmarked" exceptions.
So you have a plated piece. If the color looks "off" then it's quite possible much of the plating has worn off after years of polishing, and instead of looking at the silver on the surface you're actually looking at the base metal.
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