Coffee Pot

This is a "vintage" coffee pot. Does anyone know how I can tell if it is Sterling Silver, or not? It looks like it could use a polish. My gut instinct is, no, because the ones I've seen online look chromish. They go for up to $100 online, but I don't know how to recognize something nice from a piece of junk. The brand is Universal. You can see my goofy capris with sneakers in the reflection. LMAO!!!! (Hey, closest thing to shorts I can get).

 

It will not polish shiny. The nickel silver Universal used darkens deep in. It contains no silver.

Can we get another pic of the legs?

 

The legs are starting to rust. Definitely not silver.

 

And here I was thinking Terry meant your legs

 

Paula - "how you can tell," besides the way it looks, starts with knowing that in the US an item like this will be marked with the word sterling in addition to the maker's name or logo. The 925 decimal equivalent is mostly reserved for smaller items, like jewelry or, in some cases, flatware. These rules generally apply to US items made after the mid-1800's. Prior to the discovery of major silver ore deposits in the US, "solid silver" items were made with a slightly lower silver percentage alloy often referred to as "coin silver" that usually tests out at around .900 silver.

 

I'd call it an urn, rather than a pot.

 

I was having a blond moment. LOL.