Reference guide
Silver Hallmarks Identification: Marks & Dates
A silver hallmark is a group of small punched marks that together say what the metal is, who submitted it, and where and when it was tested. This page gives you the lookup tables for all three: standard and purity marks, assay office marks, and the plated marks that are frequently mistaken for silver.
Read the marks as a set, not one at a time. A single letter or number proves almost nothing on its own, while the combination of standard mark plus town mark plus date letter is what actually dates a piece.
Visual reference
Mark shapes to compare first
These original code-drawn symbols help describe a mark shape. They do not authenticate a maker, workshop, date, or metal standard.
The marks in a British hallmark and what each one certifies
British silver is the most systematic marking tradition in the world, which is why it is the best place to learn how to read marks generally. Expect four or five punches in a row.
| Mark | Symbol | What it certifies | Period notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard mark | Lion passant, a walking lion in profile | Sterling standard silver assayed in England | The core English sterling guarantee. Scotland uses a thistle and Ireland a crowned harp instead. |
| Britannia mark | Seated figure of Britannia, with a lion's head erased | Britannia standard, 958 parts per 1,000 | Compulsory in England from 1697 to 1720, optional afterwards. Its presence is a strong dating clue. |
| Assay office (town) mark | Leopard's head, anchor, crown or rose, castle | Which office tested and marked the piece | Leopard's head is London, anchor is Birmingham, crown then later a rose is Sheffield, castle is Edinburgh. |
| Date letter | One letter inside a shaped shield | The assay year within that office's cycle | The letter and the shield shape must be read together, and only against the correct town's chart. |
| Maker's or sponsor's mark | Initials inside a shaped punch | Who submitted the piece for assay | A sponsor is not always the workshop that made the object. See the maker's mark page below. |
| Duty mark | Sovereign's head in profile | Duty had been paid on the silver | Used from 1784 to 1890, so its presence brackets a British piece inside that window. |
Birmingham and Sheffield assay offices opened in 1773. Chester closed in 1962 and Glasgow in 1964, so those town marks cannot appear on later pieces.
Purity numbers by country and what they mean
Outside Britain, most silver is marked with a plain number giving parts of silver per 1,000. These are the numbers you will actually meet.
| Number | Silver content | Where it is common | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 999 / 9999 | 99.9% fine silver | Bullion worldwide | Too soft for tableware. Almost always a modern bar, round, or coin. |
| 958 | 95.8% | Britain (Britannia standard) | Paired with the Britannia figure rather than the lion passant. |
| 950 | 95% | France (first standard) | French silver uses figural control marks such as the Minerva head rather than plain numerals. |
| 925 | 92.5%, the sterling standard | UK, USA, and most modern jewellery worldwide | |
| 900 | 90% | Continental Europe, coin silver | American pieces marked COIN or COIN SILVER sit at roughly this level. |
| 875 / 84 | 87.5% | Russia, former Soviet states, Middle East | |
| 835 | 83.5% | Germany, the Netherlands, Austria | Extremely common on Continental flatware and serving pieces. |
| 830 | 83% | Scandinavia | Frequent on Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish silver. |
| 800 | 80% | Germany, Italy, Austria | Legal silver in its home market, but below the sterling threshold. |
A purity number is a claim made by whoever punched it. In systems with a state assay office that claim is independently tested; in systems without one it is not.
Marks that look like silver but are not silver
This table prevents the single most expensive beginner mistake: paying solid-silver money for electroplate.
| Mark | What it actually means | Silver content |
|---|---|---|
| EPNS | Electroplated nickel silver | A microscopic plated layer over a nickel alloy base |
| EP, EPBM | Electroplate, electroplated Britannia metal | Plated, base metal underneath |
| A plating quality grade used by plate manufacturers | Not a purity mark at all. Full explanation on the A1 page. | |
| Triple plate, quadruple plate, XXX | Relative plating thickness claims | Manufacturer grades, not assay standards |
| Nickel silver, German silver, alpacca | A copper, nickel, and zinc alloy | No silver content whatsoever |
| Sterling silver plate, silver on copper | Plated ware | The word plate cancels the sterling claim next to it |
| 925 on a heavy piece that a magnet grabs | A red flag | Silver is not magnetic. Test before you buy. |
How to identify it, step by step
- 1
Find every mark before you interpret any of them
Check the underside, the rim, the inside of the foot, the back of handles, and both sides of a hinge. Partial reads cause most misidentifications, and marks are often struck in the least visible spot.
- 2
Separate metal from decoration
Look first for a standard mark or a purity number. If you only find words like plate, EPNS, or a quality grade such as A1, you are holding electroplate and the rest of the reading changes.
- 3
Identify the country before the year
The town or control mark tells you which chart to use. A date letter read against the wrong assay office produces a confidently wrong year, which is worse than no year at all.
- 4
Read the date letter with the shield shape
Assay offices reuse letters across cycles and distinguish them by typeface and shield outline. Photograph the punch straight on with raking light so the outline stays visible.
- 5
Attribute the maker last
Initials are only resolvable once you know the country, the standard, and the approximate period. Two letters on their own match dozens of registered sponsors.
- 6
Weigh and measure before pricing
For plain silver, weight in troy ounces sets the floor. For maker or design pieces, form and attribution set the ceiling. Record both before you look at comparable sales.
Mistakes that cost money
- Treating the word sterling as proof without checking whether plate appears next to it.
- Reading a date letter against the wrong assay office chart and dating a piece by decades.
- Polishing hard before photographing, which erases the shallow detail that separates one punch from another.
- Assuming a pseudo-hallmark with animals and shields is British. Decorative pseudo-marks were widely used on plated and Continental wares.
- Confusing a pattern or model number with a date. Most numbers on silver are catalogue references.
What this is generally worth
Silver splits into two very different markets. Plain, damaged, or monogrammed items trade close to their metal weight, while attributed design pieces trade on the name. These are general secondary-market ranges, not appraisals.
Electroplate (EPNS, A1, quadruple plate)
Low, often single figures per piece
Plated flatware and serving ware is common and heavily supplied. Exceptions are strong designs and complete boxed services.
Plain sterling flatware and small hollowware
Tracks the silver spot price by weight, plus a modest making premium
Weight is the dominant variable. Monograms and repairs push it down toward pure metal value.
Named maker or period hollowware
A clear multiple of metal value
Attribution, form, and condition drive this tier. Complete sets and original finish matter more than weight.
Early, rare, or documented pieces
Set at auction, not by any table
Anything early, unusual, or with provenance belongs with a specialist before it is priced or sold.
Ranges above are general market direction only. Condition, weight, completeness, rarity, and current metal prices determine what any individual piece is worth. Nothing on this page is an appraisal. For anything you plan to insure, sell, or divide, use a qualified appraiser or auction specialist.
Frequently asked questions
What does the lion mark on silver mean?
A walking lion in profile, the lion passant, is the English sterling standard mark. It certifies that the piece was assayed and found to contain at least 925 parts silver per 1,000. Scotland uses a thistle and Ireland a crowned harp for the same purpose.
How do I date silver from its hallmarks?
Find the town mark first, then read the date letter against that office's own chart, matching both the letter and the shape of the shield around it. A duty mark showing a sovereign's head narrows a British piece to 1784 to 1890 on its own.
Is unmarked silver worthless?
No. Plenty of American, colonial, and non-European silver was never subject to a state assay system, so it may carry only a maker's name or nothing at all. Unmarked pieces need testing rather than mark reading, which is what a jeweller's acid or XRF test is for.
Does a 925 mark guarantee solid silver?
Not by itself. In countries with a state assay office the number has been tested independently; elsewhere it is a manufacturer's claim. Plated and counterfeit items carrying a 925 stamp exist, so verify with a magnet test and a professional acid or XRF test on anything valuable.
Do monograms reduce the value of antique silver?
Usually somewhat, because they narrow the buyer pool for table silver. On strong maker pieces the mark and the form still matter more than the engraving, and removing a monogram thins the metal and does more harm than the engraving did.
Where can I sell this?
Compare the likely value, packing risk, time available, and certainty of attribution before choosing a channel. Auction houses commonly suit specialist or higher-value objects; dealers offer speed but need a resale margin; marketplaces provide control but require photography, buyer communication, packing, and returns management. Use the AntiqScope selling-channel guide to compare the trade-offs before accepting an offer. Compare selling channels.
Before pricing or selling
Condition assessment
Check rims, handles, hinges, and feet for splits, solder, or replaced parts.
Look for thinning from heavy polishing, especially around shallow punches.
Record dents and distortion before judging the maker or metal value.
Inspect high points for plating wear or a different base-metal colour.
Confirm whether monograms, inscriptions, or removals have altered the surface.
Weigh the complete piece and note any filled or weighted components separately.
Editorial record
Published and reviewed
Published · Updated
Written by AntiqScope Editorial Desk · Edited by AntiqScope Research Review Desk
Photo-first research
Read the whole hallmark group
Photograph the standard mark, town mark, date letter, and maker punch together so the result can be checked against the tables.
First 3 scans are free. Not a formal appraisal.
Continue in this reference
Symbol Index
Visual silver hallmark symbol index for lions, heads, anchors, crowns, thistles, harps, castles, date letters and purity cartouches, with verification steps.
925 Stamp
A 925 stamp on jewelry means sterling silver, 92.5% pure. See what the mark guarantees, the numbers next to it, and four ways to verify a 925 silver piece.
A1 Mark
An A1 mark on silverware is a plating quality grade, not a silver purity standard. Learn what A1 silverware really is and how to price and identify it.
Persian & Iranian Silver
How to read Persian and Iranian silver marks: the 84 and 900 purity numbers, workshop signatures in Persian script, city attributions, and what to verify.
Maker's Marks
A method for identifying silver maker's marks: how initial punches are built, which US and UK firm marks you meet most, and why letters alone never resolve.
All reference guides
Marks and value reference index
Every hallmark, pottery mark, and value guide on the site in one list.
Related lookups
- Silver Hallmark Symbols: Visual Index Silver Hallmarks
- 925 Stamp on Jewelry: Meaning and Verification Silver Hallmarks
- A1 Mark on Silverware: What the Stamp Means Silver Hallmarks
- Persian & Iranian Silver Marks: Purity Numbers Silver Hallmarks
- Silver Maker's Marks: How to Read Initials Silver Hallmarks
- Pottery Marks Identification: Types and Dating Pottery Marks
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