How to Identify Antique Silver Plated Teapots

There are many people who enjoy antiquing as a hobby and others who value antiques as a way to make extra income. How to identify antique silver plated teapots is one way to make an extra income if the teapots are available through a yard sale or other reasonably priced location.

People who like to shop for antiques need to know what they are purchasing before they lay their money down. How to identify antique silver plated teapots is one question many people ask because they are popular items for collectors. In addition, they are somewhat easy to locate at flea markets and junk stores.

1. Locate the identification number, usually placed on the bottom of the teapot. Markings of number .925 indicate a new silver teapot and markings of a number .950 indicate an older silver teapot. Plus, the marking of number .950 will tell an antique dealer or collector that the teapot is a higher-quality silver. These numbers represent the percentage of silver the teapot was created with at the factory.


2. Locate the markings for the origin of the silver teapot. If you find a "T" on the silver teapot, this indicates that the teapot was manufactured after 1970 and most likely in Mexico. Sometimes the markings of origin can be difficult to locate and read. The majority of sterling silver teapots have the entire country of origin stamped on them somewhere, Thailand is indicated with "SIMA" and older Mexican silver is indicated with the stamp "PLATA".


3. Look for the word "STERLING" after a backslash after the marking of origin. This will tell you that the piece is sterling silver and not another type of silver. If there is no indication of what type of silver, just the name and the date, then it is probably not a sterling silver teapot.


4. Take the teapot to an antique dealer or take photographs of every angle of the teapot and send them to a reputable antique dealer if you cannot determine the origin or find any markings. There were some silver teapots manufactured before there was a way to place markings into a silver teapot.