![]() ![]() Via/ eBayĮarly American silver coins were not sterling, but rather a lower percentage of the alloy of silver (89.2 instead 92.5) as British sterling wasn’t adopted as an international standard until 1868. This rule applies for all non-plated metal markings: the three numbers represent the parts per thousand of the main metal. This will often be indicated by a mark like 800 for German silver, which is 800 parts silver and 200 parts nickel or other metal, or 830 for Scandinavian silver which is 830 parts silver and 170 parts other metals. These are solid pieces, but the alloys contain a smaller percentage of silver than sterling. German, Venetian, Scandinavian, Russian, and Nevada silver are just some of the lesser silver varieties. Via/ Library of Congress Lesser Silver Marks A mark of 958 would also indicate this alloy. The purity of this silver is 95.8% silver to 4.2% other metals. Britannia SilverĪ standard of silver in between fine and sterling is Britannia silver, marked by the goddess Britannia (a seated woman with a spear) who is the embodiment of the British Isles. As such they are quite rare and are most commonly found in jewelry pieces which won’t get the wear and tear that a sugar bowl might. Via/ Flickrġ00% silver pieces are known as fine silver and are much more easily damaged than alloyed sterling silver. This type of silver may have other marks for the Coronation in 1953 or other royal events. In Sweden, letters of different fonts indicated where the item was made, letter/number combinations were used for the year it was made, and then the assay mark followed.īritish silver will also have the mark of the assay officeas follows: a leopard head (with or without a crown) for London, castle for Edinburgh, a flower for Sheffield, and an anchor for Birmingham. ![]() This is by no means an exhaustive list of symbols, as brands and countries not listed here increase the variation of symbols which can appear on silver pieces.Īmerican sterling markson antique pieces use the lion or sometimes the dragon symbols in addition to the letters and/or symbols which signified the company or maker.Įach country at one time had their own markings. Gorham was later sold to (among others) Dansk and Lennox. Other marks found on Gorham are the passant lion, a capitol G for the brand, and an anchor for the assay office. One of the most common American makers is Gorham, whose symbol changed with the year well into the 20th century. In the case of Glasgow silver, a single capital letter, used in 3 separate fonts, is an indication of the year it was produced. Other marks that indicate sterling silver from the British Isles includes various letters, crowns, anchors, castles, shields, and faces in profile. This symbol was later adopted by other countries as well to show that a piece was 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. ![]() The most common symbol for antique British sterling silver is the passant lion (in heraldry pose). Fine silver does not tarnish and the same is true for argentium silver, which is an alloy of fine silver with the metal germanium invented in 1991. The copper content of sterling silver (which is actually an alloy to make to increase durability) is the reason that sterling silver tarnishes and has to be polished regularly. Tableware is the common form that silver takes, followed by jewelry. But, armed with some knowledge you can figure out the percentage of silver and probably where a piece was made if you know how to identify the hallmarks on silver pieces. The fact that such a huge number of marks have been used all over the world makes the task that much more difficult. If you’ve ever stood in an antique store pondering what the marks on a piece of silver mean then you understand how confusing they can be. ![]()
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