M210918a
Oval containing a rearing lion, all above "MADE IN GERMANY".
At first glance, the image appears to be a standard German mark. However, if you look closely, you will see that "GERMANY" is written with a y-umlaut (ÿ), a letter only used in French and completely out of place here. Items bearing such marks are almost always transfer-decorated and then lightly gilded. Experts and collectors often debate whether this was an attempt to deface German craftsmanship by producing cheap-looking pieces and passing them off as German, or an attempt to pass off cheaply made items as German in the hope of making more money from their reputation. Nobody can say for sure, but the fact remains that these items were not made in Germany. A similar (but unrelated) mark can be found listed as M070510.
M210918a
Oval containing a rearing lion, all above "MADE IN GERMANY".