Living Our Guide to Silver Marks Will Help You Identify Every Piece in Your Collection Discover the origins of any piece of silver with this visual guide. By Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano Madeline Buiano is an associate editor at MarthaStewart.com, sharing her knowledge on a range of topics—from gardening and cleaning to home and pets. She has five years of writing and editing experience in the digital publishing industry. Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 31, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Knowing how to identify real silver will help you determine its value. Most of the time, you can find the information you're looking for by simply taking a closer look at the teaspoon, fish fork, ice cream saw, or cheese scoop you're eyeing. Many of these pieces will feature an indented mark (or a series of marks) that can tell you a lot about the item: what it's made of, where it was made, when, and by whom. To help make silver identification easier, we're sharing a visual guide to some of the most common silver marks you can find in the marketplace today. How to Tell if an Item Is Made of Real Silver The Most Popular Silver Varieties There are many types of silver, but these are among the most common varieties. Sterling Silver Sterling must be at least 92.5 percent silver—the other 7.5 percent is made up of copper alloy, which strengthens silver. This standard was established by the English during the 12th century and later adopted by most of the silver-making world, including the United States in 1868. Coin Silver Some of the oldest American silver is coin, which contains at least 89.2 percent of silver if it was made between 1792 to 1837, an amount set by the U.S. Mint after the American Revolution. That number rose to 90 percent in the years after 1837. Many people think of coin as much less valuable than sterling, but it has only about 2 percent less silver and, in some rare cases, may even contain more. Because of its age and beauty, a piece made from coin silver can sometimes be worth more than American sterling. Silver Plate Silver plate is a coating of pure silver on a base metal such as copper or nickel silver (an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc) and was developed later than sterling or coin, but various forms date to the 18th century. Electroplating processes were invented in England in the 1830s and 1840s; this method is still used today. Hotel Silver Hotel silver is a form of electroplate that was manufactured for use in trains, on ships, in restaurants, and in hotels. You can dent a sterling sugar bowl very easily—but a similar piece of hotel silver can be dropped without much harm because the underlying base metal is stronger than its silver exterior. Venetian and Nevada Silver Certain alloys, referred to as Venetian silver and Nevada silver, consist of nickel and silver. Although they're solid metal rather than plated, they contain less silver than sterling pieces. These lower-grade compounds are less expensive than silver-plated items but don't polish up as easily. American vs. International Silver Marks The markings for American vs. international silver vary. American Early coin silver made in America was often marked with the maker's name and nothing else (sometimes it doesn't show even that). Eventually, manufacturers also started using the word "coin." But after the Civil War, silversmiths continued to stamp their own names on the back, along with the word "sterling" or the number 92.5 or 925, all of which indicate sterling quality. Some companies used symbols as a commercial logo. For example, The Gorham company's mark was a row of three emblems: a lion (for sterling), an anchor (for its base in Rhode Island), and a "G" (its initial). Silver plate has its own codes. A wide range of symbols were used by U.S. manufacturers to designate silver plating and solid lower-grade alloys in the marketplace. The maker or company name is usually stamped on the back of the piece, along with an indication that it's plated. In America, these marks are A1, AA, EP, or the full phrases "sterling inlaid", or "silver soldered." According to industry standards, AA has one-third as much silver used in plating as does A1 pieces. International Silver International silver marks vary by country. England's system of hallmarks—a variety of official emblems stamped in a row on silver to illustrate its purity—is one of the oldest and most detailed. Laws dating to the 14th century established strict requirements for marking silver. The first emblem was a crowned lion's head to certify sterling. If you find a lion on your piece, you'll immediately know that it's come from Britain. Symbols for where it was made include an anchor for Birmingham and a crown for Sheffield (in 1975, it changed to a rose). Another mark is the head of the reigning monarch. You'll also find a letter stamp telling you when the silver piece was made. Each year is assigned one letter of the alphabet, and a new cycle starts with a different font. Until the 1500s, the symbol for the silversmith was often a plant or an animal, suggesting the family name. Today, initials are used. Common Silver Marks The images below will help guide you through the most common silver marks you'll find—and how to decipher each of them. How to Clean and Polish Silver, According to Experts 01 of 20 Coin Early U.S. silver is often simply marked "coin," which is pictured here. 02 of 20 Gorham Company On the back of this sterling fork, the lion, anchor, and "G" identify the Gorham company. 03 of 20 S. Brown "S. Brown" manufactured this sterling piece, as indicated by the stamp, but the hallmarks that follow are actually bogus, as they imitate the English system because of its cachet in the marketplace. 04 of 20 925 On a spoon handle marked with the maker Crosby, Honnewell, and Morse is the number "925"—which is a code for sterling. 05 of 20 EPNS Electroplated nickel silver, commonly known as "EPNS," is an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc that's covered with a layer of pure silver in an electrochemical process. Nickel's resemblance to silver helps disguise any worn spots that develop over time. 06 of 20 Venetian Silver This flatware is made of a blend of silver and base metals and is solid, not plated, but has a much lower silver content than either sterling or coin. 07 of 20 Treble Plate The "treble plate" mark means that three layers of silver plating were applied to a base metal during manufacturing. 08 of 20 Hotel A few big companies, such as Oneida, produced large orders of silver plate for hotels in the 19th century. 09 of 20 Silver Soldered The mark "silver soldered" is another way of signifying that the piece is silver-plated. 10 of 20 Sterling Inlaid Advertising itself as sterling, this mark for a silver plate piece can be deceptive and misleading. 11 of 20 Asian Silver Early Asian sterling is marked with Asian characters. This sterling spoon from the former British colony of Hong Kong, however, is geared toward English speakers. 12 of 20 Polish Silver This piece from Warsaw, Poland proclaims its origin, but it says nothing about its silver content. 13 of 20 German Silver On the right, the slash marks on the back of this spoon identify the piece as German, and another clue is the shield with the eagle. 14 of 20 German Silver The mark "90" is a standard identifier for silver plate originating from Germany, and this is located on the bottom of the spoon's handle. 15 of 20 German Silver The number 800 is a common notation for silver in Russia. The one pictured, however, is a German .800 silver mark, depicting a crown and crescent moon along with the maker's mark of "WTB" (for manufacturer Wilhelm Binder). 16 of 20 Scottish Silver This sterling spoon bears the hallmarks for Scotland (the thistle) and for Edinburgh (the castle), as well as the profile of George III 17 of 20 Italian Silver The information in this Italian example is hard to decipher: "IAB" is a signifier for pure sterling, although not all Italian sterling carries that mark. 18 of 20 Italian Silver This Italian example also signifies pure sterling with the "SCF" marking. 19 of 20 French Silver French silver almost always has marks placed on the top of the piece because tables are set with bowls of spoons and tines of forks facing downward. 20 of 20 Danish Silver The straightforward marks on this piece of Danish silver identify that it's sterling. It was made in Copenhagen, and the silversmith was H. Nils. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Martha Stewart is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources—including peer-reviewed studies—to support the facts in our articles. Read about our editorial policies and standards to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. Easey L. Research guides: hallmarking: silver plating. State Library Victoria.