TL;DR Marks on silver answer four questions: how pure, who tested it, who made it and when. Start with the purity number or standard symbol (925, 800, a lion passant), then the town or country mark, then the maker's mark and any date letter. Words such as EPNS, A1 or Quadruple Plate mean silver plate, not solid silver.
Silver marks fall into four groups: a purity mark, a town or country mark, a maker's mark and, on British and Irish silver, a date letter. Read them in that order. The purity mark tells you whether the piece is solid silver at all, and the town or country mark tells you which national system to read the rest against.
The charts below cover the marks that turn up most often. Each row links to a full guide for that mark or country.
How do you identify hallmarks on silver?
Find every mark before you read any of them. Marks sit on the back of spoon and fork handles, on the underside or foot of holloware, inside the rims of lids and on the clasp or inner band of jewelry. A 10x loupe and a raking light from one side make worn marks legible.
- Look for a number or a standard symbol. 925, 800 or a lion passant means solid silver. See the purity chart below.
- Look for plate words. EPNS, EP, A1, Quadruple Plate or Nickel Silver means silver plate or no silver at all, whatever else is stamped.
- Find the town or country mark. A leopard's head, anchor or Minerva head tells you which system the piece belongs to.
- Read the maker's mark. Initials in a shaped punch, a symbol or a company name.
- Read the date letter last, against the table for the right assay office.
The hallmark identification wizard walks through the same steps one question at a time, and the guide to inherited silver covers a first sort of a family collection.
What do the numbers on silver mean?
A three-digit number on silver gives the purity in parts per thousand: 925 means 925 parts of pure silver in 1,000, or 92.5%. The rest is almost always copper. Numbers above 750 on white metal usually mean solid silver, but 750 and 916 more often mean gold, so check those two first.
| Number | Purity | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 999 | 99.9% | Fine silver: bullion bars, coins, some modern jewelry |
| 958 | 95.8% | Britannia silver, UK; marked with a seated Britannia |
| 950 | 95.0% | French first standard (Minerva 1), some Mexican silver |
| 925 | 92.5% | Sterling silver: UK, US, most modern jewelry |
| 916 | 91.6% | Usually 22 karat gold; rarely Russian or Finnish silver |
| 900 | 90.0% | Coin silver: US, European coins, Austria-Hungary |
| 84 or 875 | 87.5% | Russian silver; 84 is the zolotnik number |
| 835 | 83.5% | Netherlands, Belgium, Germany; small European coins |
| 830 | 83.0% | Scandinavian silver: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland |
| 800 | 80.0% | Continental silver: Germany, Italy, Austria, France (Minerva 2) |
| 750 | 75.0% | Usually 18 karat gold; rarely Austro-Hungarian or Russian silver |
A number on its own is the maker's claim. It becomes a tested guarantee only when an assay office mark sits beside it.
Which symbols mean sterling silver?
A lion passant in England, a thistle or lion rampant in Scotland and a crowned harp in Ireland all mean sterling silver, 925. British, Irish and many European pieces use a picture in place of a purity number, or alongside one. Each such picture is a standard mark that guarantees a minimum purity.
| Symbol | Meaning | Where and when |
|---|---|---|
| Lion passant (walking lion) | Sterling, 925 | England, from 1544 |
| Seated Britannia | Britannia silver, 958 | UK; compulsory 1697 to 1720, optional since |
| Thistle | Sterling, 925 | Edinburgh 1759 to 1974; Glasgow, beside the lion rampant, 1914 to 1964 |
| Lion rampant (standing lion) | Sterling, 925 | Glasgow from 1819; Edinburgh from 1975 |
| Crowned harp | Sterling, 925 | Ireland, from 1637 |
| Minerva head with 1 or 2 | 950 or 800 silver | France, from 1838 |
| Crescent moon and crown | 800 or higher | Germany, from 1888 |
| Kokoshnik (woman's head in a headdress) | Purity beside it, usually 84 | Russia, 1896 to 1917 |
| Diana head with numeral 1 to 4 | 950, 900, 800 or 750 silver | Austria-Hungary, 1872 to 1922 |
| Lion in a shield with 1 or 2 | 934 or 833 silver | Netherlands, 1814 to 1953 |
| Balance scales with a number | Common Control Mark; purity inside | Vienna Convention countries, from 1975 |
Since 1999 the UK standard marks have been optional. A modern British hallmark must carry the sponsor's mark, a millesimal number in a shaped shield and an assay office mark; the lion passant and the date letter are traditional extras.
Which marks show where silver was tested?
The town mark shows where silver was tested: it names the assay office, such as the leopard's head for London or the anchor for Birmingham. On British and Irish silver the town mark also decides which date-letter table to read. Seven offices account for nearly all the silver you will see.
| Town mark | Assay office | Marking |
|---|---|---|
| Leopard's head | London | 1300 to today |
| Anchor | Birmingham | 1773 to today |
| Crown , then rose (1975) | Sheffield | 1773 to today |
| Castle | Edinburgh | 1457 to today |
| Tree, fish and bell | Glasgow | 1819 to 1964 |
| Wheatsheaves and sword | Chester | 1701 to 1962 |
| Hibernia and crowned harp | Dublin | 1637 to today |
The assay office guide explains each office's marks, and English silver hallmarks covers the closed provincial offices such as Exeter, Newcastle and York.
What do words like Sterling, Coin and EPNS mean?
STERLING means 925 silver, COIN means American coin silver of about 900, and EPNS means electroplated nickel silver, a plate over a base metal. American silver and most silver plate carry words in place of hallmarks. The United States never had a national assay office, so a mark on American silver is the maker's or retailer's own statement.
| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| STERLING | 925 silver; standard on American silver from the 1860s |
| COIN, PURE COIN, DOLLAR, STANDARD, C, D | American coin silver , about 900, mostly before 1870 |
| EPNS | Electroplated nickel silver: plate over a base metal |
| EP, EPBM, EPC | Electroplate on a base metal, Britannia metal or copper |
| A1, AA, Quadruple Plate, Triple Plate | Plate thickness grades; never used on solid silver |
| Nickel Silver, German Silver, NS, Alpaca | Copper, nickel and zinc alloy with no silver |
| Sheffield Plate, Silver on Copper | Silver fused onto copper |
Many American firms made both sterling and plate, so a maker's name proves nothing on its own. Sterling vs silver plate covers the 30-second check, and American silver marks covers the US system.
Which country is my silver from?
The most distinctive mark usually names the country: a lion passant points to England, a crowned harp to Ireland, 84 with a kokoshnik to Russia, and 800 with a crescent and crown to Germany. Each country marked silver its own way, so the country decides how to read every other mark on the piece.
Place the piece by its most distinctive mark, then open the country guide.
| Country | Marks to look for | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| England | Lion passant, leopard's head or other town mark, date letter | British hallmarks |
| Scotland | Castle or tree and fish, thistle or lion rampant | Edinburgh , Glasgow |
| Ireland | Crowned harp, Hibernia | Irish hallmarks |
| United States | STERLING or COIN with a maker's name | American makers |
| Russia | 84 or 88, kokoshnik, Cyrillic initials | Russian hallmarks |
| Germany | 800 with crescent and crown | 800 silver |
| Italy | 800 or 925 with a star, number and province code | 800 silver |
| Austria-Hungary | Diana head with a numeral | 900 silver |
| Mexico | 925 or Sterling with Mexico, maker or workshop code | Mexican silver marks |
| US Southwest | Smith's initials or symbol, STERLING | Native American marks , Navajo marks |
More country guides: Tunisia , Brazil , old silver markings .
How do you date silver from its hallmarks?
Only British and Irish silver carries a true date letter, a letter that changed every year at each assay office. Read the town mark first: until 1975 each office ran its own alphabet on its own calendar, so the same letter can mean different years in London and Birmingham.
From 1975 the four UK offices share one letter that changes on 1 January. Two other marks narrow the date. A sovereign's head duty mark places British silver between 1784 and 1890. A thistle on Edinburgh silver places it between 1759 and 1974. The date letter lookup and the British date letters guide go year by year.
Other countries date differently. Russian marks change in 1896 and 1908, French Minerva marks begin in 1838, and American silver is dated by the maker's working years and pattern dates.
How do you identify a silver maker's mark?
A maker's mark is usually initials in a shaped punch, a symbol or a company name. In Britain it is called the sponsor's mark, and since 1739 it has been the maker's initials. Match the initials together with the punch shape and the town mark, because many makers shared initials.
For American silver, the company name or trademark usually settles it: see Gorham , Tiffany , Towle , Reed & Barton and International Silver . Early silversmiths are listed by city in New York , Boston and Providence . British makers are covered in silver makers' marks .
Can silver marks be faked?
Yes, silver marks can be faked. Some makers struck pseudo-hallmarks that imitate English marks, and outright forgeries copy famous names. Check that every mark belongs to the same country and period: a lion passant with an American maker's name is a pseudo-hallmark, and a kokoshnik beside a metric 875 is a mismatch.
Crisp marks on a heavily worn surface are a warning sign. When a mark and the metal disagree, test the metal; the silver testing guide covers home and jeweller tests.
Key takeaways
- Read silver marks in order: purity, then town or country, then maker, then date letter.
- A number gives purity per thousand; 925 is sterling, 800 is Continental silver, and 750 or 916 usually mean gold.
- A lion passant, thistle, lion rampant or crowned harp means sterling in Britain or Ireland.
- EPNS, EP, A1 and Quadruple Plate mean silver plate; Nickel Silver and German Silver contain no silver.
- Date letters work only with the right assay office table; read the town mark first.
Sources
- Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 2 (standards of fineness), legislation.gov.uk
- The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office: history of hallmarking
- Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals (Common Control Mark)
- FTC Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries, 16 CFR Part 23
- Silver fineness marks, silvercollection.it
- Hallmark, Wikipedia
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the marks on sterling silver?
Sterling silver is marked 925, STERLING, or with a standard symbol: a lion passant in England, a thistle or lion rampant in Scotland, a crowned harp in Ireland. British and Irish pieces add an assay office mark, a maker's mark and usually a date letter. American sterling carries the word STERLING and a maker's name.
How do I read silver hallmarks?
Read them in order. The purity number or standard symbol says whether the piece is solid silver. The town or country mark says which system to use. The maker's mark identifies who made it, and on British or Irish silver the date letter, read against the right assay office table, gives the year.
What do the numbers on silver mean?
They give purity in parts per thousand. 925 is sterling, 92.5% silver; 900 is coin silver; 800 is Continental silver common in Germany and Italy; 958 is Britannia silver. 750 and 916 usually mean 18 and 22 karat gold rather than silver.
How can you tell if silver is real by the marks?
A purity number such as 925 or 800, the word STERLING, or a standard symbol such as the lion passant indicates solid silver. EPNS, EP, A1, Quadruple Plate or Nickel Silver indicate plate or no silver. A piece with no marks needs a test, since marks can wear away or be faked.
Does American silver have hallmarks?
Not in the official sense. The United States never had a national assay office, so American silver carries the maker's or retailer's own marks: STERLING after the 1860s, COIN or similar words earlier, plus a company name or trademark. Lion and anchor symbols on American pieces are pseudo-hallmarks.
