I bought this guy with a grouping of silver objects yesterday. I'm trying to save things from the refineries!
Obviously, it's a pig. However the marks are escaping me. I also wonder if he has a purpose, other than cuteness and making me want more bacon. The worst part is, he's familiar to me, like I've seen a silver pig someplace else recently when search other objects.
That looks like an Italian mark. I can't make out what the numbers and letters are after the star but you might like to try searching in the Italian Silverware and Jewellery Manufacturers section on this site. If you use the Advanced Search facility you can restrict the search to the Contributors' Notes section in which this topic appears. It may well have no purpose other than just being cute.
I agree with silvermakersmarks, it is Italian, but I hope I don't disappoint you too much.
What you have is a resin base covered with a layer of silver. To identify such pieces, and so that they are not to be confused with solid silver items, as they do contain a full set of Italian marks, the Italian government require some extra marks to be struck. These extra marks are a 'R' within a square, this stands for 'Riempito' (filled), and also a set of figures that indicate the amount of silver deposited, in grams (1÷2 g, 2÷3 g, 3÷5g, etc.). These are not exact weights, but must fit into range stated by each mark. In your case there is between 7 and 10 grams of silver deposited on the outside of the product.
If you can read the numbers and letters that follow the star in the left hand mark, then this will help identify the actual manufacturer.
315 FI is not possible because this company
315 FI Chilleri Enzo Via della Chiesa, 61 FLORENCE went out of business before 1971, while the R mark within a square came into force in 1999
The mark 215 FI corresponds to
FABBRICA ARGENTERIA FIORENTINA of BARTOLINI, BARTOLOZZI & CSAS with registered office in Via Podgora, 11 Milan, and laboratory in via Ugo Foscolo, Florence.
Regards
Amena
