910 mmet marks on metal

Answer 1

Not 100% sure, but I just picked up several demittasses with this mark. They appear to have been cast, and feel too heavy to be sterling, but they are gold washed on the inside, with a gold flashes band around the outside and were heavily tarnished (which cleaned up easily like silver should- as opposed to plate which usually takes more elbow grease or appplications). On top of that, I've tested them many times and filed down one area 1/16th inch, and they still test like sterling. Not sure how they could harden it like that, but somehow they did seem to temper the pieces. They are thick gauge to begin with, but offer almost no bend, so I'm thinking some kind of coin silver utilizing an incredibly strong alloy. They are heavy like lead plate, but don't bend even as much as silver should. The man I bought them from at a garage sale (five cups and 6 saucers) said the Russian man he bought them from sold him many other very high quality items and swore up and down that these demitasses were real silver, but he was never convinced because of the weight. I don't believe he ever tested them, and I know he never cleaned them up, because they're gorgeous and he certainly would have kept them had he seen them as they look now.