TL;DR A 900 mark means 900 parts pure silver per thousand, or 90%. It is the coin silver standard: the United States struck its silver coins at 900 from 1837 to 1964, and France's 5-franc piece used it too. You find it on American coin silver, Austro-Hungarian pieces and coins. It is solid silver, a little below 925 sterling.
A 900 mark means the piece is 90% pure silver, with copper making up almost all of the other 10%. It is solid silver, not plate. The number is the old coinage standard, which is why collectors call 900 silver "coin silver" and why the mark turns up on American spoons, European coins and Austro-Hungarian tableware.
What does the 900 mark mean on silver?
The 900 mark means 900 parts of pure silver in every 1,000 parts of metal, or 90%. The other 10% is usually copper, added to make the metal hard enough to use. 900 silver is solid silver through its whole thickness, 2.5 percentage points below 925 sterling and 10 points above 800 Continental silver.
The number follows the millesimal system used across Europe and in modern hallmarking: three digits giving parts per thousand. A 900 on silver is a fineness claim. Whether anyone independently tested that claim depends on the country, so look at the marks around it.
Why is 900 silver called coin silver?
900 was the standard for silver coinage in the United States and much of Europe. The Coinage Act of 18 January 1837 set American silver coins at 900 fine, replacing the 892.4 standard of 1792. US dimes, quarters and half dollars stayed 90% silver until the Coinage Act of 1965 removed silver from dimes and quarters.
In Europe, the Latin Monetary Union of 1865 (France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland) struck its 5-franc silver piece at 900 and its smaller coins at 835. American silversmiths of the early 19th century worked to the same standard and marked it in words rather than numbers: COIN, PURE COIN, DOLLAR, STANDARD, or a single C or D. Tests of surviving pieces show the real fineness of "coin" spoons varies. Our coin silver hallmarks guide covers the American marks.
Where do you find the 900 silver mark?
The 900 mark appears most often in three places: American coin silver, silver coins, and Austro-Hungarian silver. Austria-Hungary's 1866 law allowed four silver standards, 950, 900, 800 and 750, and from 1872 its Diana head mark carried a numeral; 2 meant 900. A Diana head with a 2 is therefore 900 silver, made between 1872 and 1922.
Coins are the commonest 900 silver of all. US 90% dimes, quarters and half dollars dated 1964 or earlier, French 5-franc pieces and many other 19th-century crowns were struck at this standard. Coins rarely carry a 900 stamp; the fineness comes from the coinage law, not a hallmark.
How does 900 silver compare to 925, 916 and 800?
900 silver sits in the middle of the common standards: purer than 800 and 835 Continental silver and 84 zolotnik Russian silver, a little below 916 and 925 sterling. The difference from sterling is 2.5 percentage points, small enough that the two look, wear and tarnish almost the same in use.
| Mark | Purity | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| 800 | 80.0% | Germany, Italy, Austria |
| 835 | 83.5% | Netherlands, Belgium, Latin Monetary Union small coins |
| 84 zolotnik | 87.5% | Imperial Russia |
| 900 | 90.0% | Coin silver, US and European coinage, Austria-Hungary |
| 916 | 91.6% | Continental and Scandinavian pieces |
| 925 | 92.5% | Sterling: UK, US and most modern jewelry |
| 958 | 95.8% | Britannia silver, UK |
How much is 900 silver worth?
The metal value of 900 silver is its weight times 0.9 times the price of pure silver. A 100 gram piece holds 90 grams of pure silver, which is about 2.89 troy ounces, since a troy ounce is 31.1 grams. Sterling of the same weight holds 92.5 grams, so the melt difference between the two is small.
Melt value is the floor. A signed 19th-century American coin silver spoon, or an Austro-Hungarian piece with clear marks, often sells for more than its metal. Coins have their own numismatic premiums based on date and condition.
Can 900 mean a metal other than silver?
Yes. 900 is a purity number, so it also appears on platinum and occasionally gold. Pt900 is one of the commonest marks on Japanese platinum jewelry, meaning 90% platinum, and the UK recognises 900 as a platinum standard. 900 gold, about 21.6 karat, exists but is rare. On a white ring, check for Pt or Plat before assuming silver.
Key takeaways
- A 900 mark means 90% pure silver; the piece is solid silver, not plate.
- The US struck silver coins at 900 from 1837, and dimes, quarters and halves stayed 90% silver through 1964.
- American coin silver is usually marked COIN, PURE COIN, DOLLAR, STANDARD, C or D rather than 900.
- An Austro-Hungarian Diana head with the numeral 2 means 900 silver made between 1872 and 1922.
- Pt900 means 90% platinum, so check for Pt or Plat on white jewelry before assuming silver.
Sources
- PCGS, Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States (Coinage Act of 1837)
- Coinage Act of 1965, Wikipedia
- Latin Monetary Union, Wikipedia
- Fineness, Wikipedia
- Hallmarking Act 1973 (Application to Palladium and Amendment) Regulations 1998, legislation.gov.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 900 silver real silver?
Yes. 900 silver is solid silver at 90% purity, with copper making up most of the other 10%. It is not silver plate. It is the coin silver standard, 2.5 percentage points below 925 sterling, and it looks, wears and tarnishes almost exactly like sterling in everyday use.
Is 900 silver better than 925?
Neither is better for use. 925 sterling holds 2.5% more pure silver, so it is worth slightly more by weight, but 900 silver is equally durable and looks the same once polished. On antiques, the maker, age and condition matter far more than the difference in purity.
What is the difference between 900 silver and coin silver?
In practice they mean the same standard. Coin silver is the collector's name for silver at about 90% purity, named after the 900 fine standard of US and European coinage. Early American silversmiths marked it with words such as COIN or STANDARD rather than the number 900.
Does 900 silver tarnish?
Yes. Like sterling, 900 silver tarnishes because both silver and its copper react with sulphur in the air. With slightly more copper than sterling, it can darken a little faster. Clean it with a non-abrasive silver polish and store it in an anti-tarnish bag or cloth between uses.
