How to read silver hallmarks

Silver turns up in nearly every house clearance, often in a drawer, wrapped in a yellow cloth, and quite often black with tarnish. Learning to read the marks takes about ten minutes and tells you whether you have something worth pursuing.

You'll need good light and a magnifying glass, or your phone's camera zoomed in. Look on the back of spoon and fork handles, on the base of cups and trays, and on the rim of plates and salvers.

The marks in a British hallmark

Since 1999, British law has required three marks. Older pieces usually have more. In the order you might see them:

A duty mark is a quick way to date something: a monarch's head tells you the piece was marked between 1784 and 1890.

Step 1: Is it silver at all?

Start with the standard mark, because it decides whether the rest of the marks matter.

• Lion passant (a lion walking to the left, with one front paw raised). This means sterling silver, 92.5% pure, in England. It has been used since 1544.
• Britannia (a seated female figure). This means Britannia standard silver, about 95.8% pure. It was compulsory from 1697 to 1720 and has been optional since.
• Lion rampant (standing on its hind legs). You'll see this on Scottish silver, and on Edinburgh pieces from about 1975.
• Thistle. This appears on Edinburgh silver from 1759 until the mid-1970s.
• 925, 958 or 800 in an oval or lozenge. Modern pieces use these numbers, and 800 is usually continental silver.

If you can see EPNS, EP, A1, "Sheffield plate" or "silver plate", the piece is plated, with a thin layer of silver over a base metal. Some Victorian makers also struck imitation marks that look like hallmarks at first glance. If you see four neat stamps but no lion, Britannia or fineness number, be suspicious.

Step 2: Where was it marked?

Four assay offices are still open, and each has its own town mark:

Several other offices have closed, and you may see their marks on older pieces:

Pieces from closed provincial offices can attract collectors. York and Exeter are good examples.

Step 3: Find the date

The date letter changes every year, on 1 January since the modern system began. The shape of the shield and the style of the letter change with each cycle, so a capital A in one cycle means a different year from a capital A in another. Before 1975 each office used its own lettering system, so you need to look up the letter in a table for that particular office.

London's date letter goes back to 1478. Date letters became voluntary in 1999, but many pieces still carry one.

To find the year, note the town mark, then the exact shape of the shield and the style of the letter. Compare them with a date table for that assay office. We've set out the cycles for London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Chester, and Mozeris Fine Antiques publishes letter-by-letter charts. Printed guides such as Bradbury's Book of Hallmarks cover this too.

Since 1975 every UK office has used the same letter each year, changing on 1 January:

Step 4: Who made it?

The maker's mark is usually a pair of initials. Most makers were unremarkable. A few matter a great deal to collectors, such as Hester Bateman, Paul Storr and the Elkington firm, and a good maker can multiply what something is worth.

Maker's marks are harder to trace than the rest. If you think a piece is significant, the Goldsmiths' Company Library can help identify hallmarks struck before 1975 from clear photographs.

Common marks that confuse people

• Commemorative marks. Some special marks celebrate royal events, including the 1935 Jubilee and 1953 Coronation. They're a helpful clue to the date.
• Foreign marks. Pieces imported into Britain carry import marks, and continental silver has its own systems entirely.
• Convention marks. The UK has been part of the International Hallmarking Convention since 1972, so you may see a Convention mark on modern pieces.
• Rubbed marks. Heavy polishing wears marks down. Worn marks can reduce the value, so try a soft cloth rather than abrasive polish before anything goes for valuation, or leave it tarnished.

What's it worth?

Hallmarks tell you what a piece is, but what it will sell for comes down to other things:

• Weight matters because sterling silver has a scrap value set by the silver price. Anything worth less than its melt value tends to go for scrap.
• Age and maker can count for a lot. An 18th-century piece by a known maker can be worth many times its scrap value.
• Type and condition count too. Everyday sets of spoons often go for little more than weight, and unusual objects do better. Repairs, thinness from over-polishing and removed engravings all reduce value.

Our guide to valuing antiques explains how to research sold prices. If you're dealing with an estate, silver will also need a figure for the probate valuation.

Take extra care with silver that has ivory handles or fittings, because selling anything containing ivory needs an exemption under the Ivory Act. Gold has its own system, which our guide to gold hallmarks explains.

Common questions

How do I know if silver is real without a hallmark?

An assay office or reputable jeweller can test an unmarked piece, and a magnet is a quick first test. Silver isn't magnetic, although plenty of non-magnetic metals aren't silver either. Older items, or small ones, may have no marks.

What does 925 mean on silver?

It means 925 parts per thousand are pure silver, or 92.5%. That's the sterling standard.

What is the difference between sterling silver and silver plate?

Sterling is solid silver alloy throughout. Silver plate is a thin layer of silver over a base metal such as nickel or copper. Plate usually has little resale value, with some exceptions for good Old Sheffield Plate.

What does the lion mean on silver?

In England, a walking lion (the lion passant) means sterling silver. It has been used on English silver since 1544. On Scottish silver you may see a lion standing on its hind legs instead.

Sources

• Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office: UK hallmarks
• Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office: What is a hallmark?
• Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office: Trace a hallmark
• Sheffield Assay Office: History
• Hallmarking Act 1973
• Mozeris Fine Antiques: London date letters

This guide is general information for people in England and Wales. The rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland can differ. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice, and Sortwell isn't a law firm or a valuer. If an estate is complicated or there's a disagreement, talk to a solicitor. Figures were checked on the date above.