Is this WMF coffee set tin-plate?

[DianaGaleM]

I bought a little coffee set I adore via an online auction:


The seller wasn't certain what it was made of, but thought it might be chrome. Because the set appears in the WMF 1926 "Catalogue Art Deco & Supplement" on p. 38, I thought it might be silverplate, so I bought it:


I think perhaps we were both wrong, and that the set may be tin-plated brass:


I take it the "M.Pl" means plated brass ("messing" means brass in German), and the inside of the lid supports that the base metal is brass.


Does the "Z" stamped on the bottom of the pot mean tin? ("Zinn" means tin or pewter in German.) If so, my next question would be, can anything be done to improve its condition? I've tried Hagerty's and Wenol on the outside, neither of which have any effect on it.



Assuming the outside can be rejuvenated, I wonder if the interior can be made safe/palatable to use?



Or have I just bought myself a planter for the screen porch?

[dognose]

Hi Diana,

Could it be the remains of a protective lacquer?

If so, this post will help: http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 87&p=22265

Trev.

[DianaGaleM]

It could be a coating. I just tried acetone, isopropyl-alcohol, and goo-gone. No luck, except I think the alcohol had a little effect. I guess I'll take this down to the hardware store and see what they think. If alcohol helped a little, maybe lacquer thinner is the answer.

[DianaGaleM]

Well, I bought some lacquer thinner and tried it: no effect.

I also discovered a complete set for sale on a German auction site. (My set is missing the tea pot and tray.) They are claiming it's versilbert (silverplate).