{"id":96728,"date":"2026-06-21T13:54:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T13:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjwilliam.com\/wholesale\/silver-hallmark-guide\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T14:03:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:03:28","slug":"silver-hallmark-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cjwilliam.com\/wholesale\/silver-hallmark-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Silver Hallmark Guide: Sterling, 925, 800, and Antique Silver Marks Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Silver hallmarks tell you what your silver is made of, who made it, where it was tested, and often when.<\/strong> They are the most important pieces of information for determining what a silver piece is worth. This guide explains the worldwide silver fineness system, country-by-country hallmark conventions, the major collectible makers, and how hallmarks affect value when selling silver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silver hallmarking is far more elaborate than gold. The British assay office system in particular has documented every silver piece tested in the UK since the early 1300s. If you have inherited silver, the hallmarks on the back or underside are the key to understanding what you have. See the We Buy Silver in Miami<\/a> page for the CJW silver buying process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silver Fineness: The Number That Tells You How Much Silver You Have<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fineness<\/th>Silver Content<\/th>Common Stamps<\/th>Where Used<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
999<\/td>99.9 percent<\/td>.999, FINE SILVER, 999<\/td>Investment bullion bars and coins<\/td><\/tr>
950<\/td>95 percent<\/td>950, .950, MINERVE (France)<\/td>French first standard, some Japanese<\/td><\/tr>
925 (Sterling)<\/td>92.5 percent<\/td>925, STERLING, STER, SOLID SILVER<\/td>US, UK, most worldwide jewelry and flatware<\/td><\/tr>
900<\/td>90 percent<\/td>900, COIN, COIN SILVER<\/td>Pre-1965 US coins, some European<\/td><\/tr>
835<\/td>83.5 percent<\/td>835<\/td>German, Dutch, some Scandinavian<\/td><\/tr>
800<\/td>80 percent<\/td>800, 0.800<\/td>Continental European antique (Italian, German, Russian)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Country-by-Country Silver Hallmarks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

United States<\/h3>\n\n\n

The US never adopted a formal assay office system. American silver typically stamps STERLING, STER, or 925, accompanied by a maker mark. Common American makers include Tiffany & Co. (often with a pattern number, design year, and director code), Gorham (lion, anchor, G), Reed & Barton, Towle, International Silver, Wallace, Kirk, Stieff, and Towle. American coin silver (pre-1860s, before sterling became the US standard) was typically 900 fine and stamped COIN, COIN SILVER, or PURE COIN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United Kingdom<\/h3>\n\n\n

The UK has the most elaborate hallmarking system in the world. Every piece carries up to five marks: the sponsor’s mark<\/strong> (the silversmith or sponsor), the standard mark<\/strong> (a lion passant for sterling, Britannia for Britannia silver at 958.4), the assay office mark<\/strong> (city of testing), the date letter<\/strong> (year of testing, cycled through the alphabet by office), and sometimes the duty mark<\/strong> (a monarch’s head, used between 1784 and 1890).<\/p>\n\n\n

Assay office marks: London<\/strong> uses a leopard’s head. Birmingham<\/strong> uses an anchor. Sheffield<\/strong> historically used a crown, now a rose. Edinburgh<\/strong> uses a three-towered castle. Dublin<\/strong> uses a harp surmounted by a crown. Glasgow<\/strong> (assay office closed 1964) used a tree, salmon, and bell. Date letters cycle through the alphabet (skipping some letters) in different fonts and shield shapes by office, so reference guides like Bradbury’s Book of Hallmarks identify the exact year and city for any UK piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

France<\/h3>\n\n\n

French silver uses two standards: 950 first standard<\/strong> (marked with a Minerve head, which is the head of Minerva facing right) and 800 second standard<\/strong> (marked with a boar’s head for Paris or a crab for the provinces). Older French silver may carry the Vieillard<\/strong> (old man) mark (1819 to 1838). French maker marks are typically diamond-shaped lozenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Germany<\/h3>\n\n\n

German silver is stamped with the fineness (typically 800, 835, or 925) and often a crescent moon and crown mark (used after 1888) plus a maker mark. Pre-1888 German pieces use city marks varying by region. Common German fineness is 800, but higher-end pieces are 925.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy<\/h3>\n\n\n

Italian silver uses the 800 standard for most antique pieces and 925 for modern. Italian silver is typically marked with the fineness inside an oval or hexagon, plus a maker number in a diamond. Buccellati is the most collectible Italian silver maker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scandinavia<\/h3>\n\n\n

Danish silver (Georg Jensen, A. Dragsted, and others) is stamped 925S or .925 plus the maker mark. Swedish silver uses a three-crown mark (Tre Kronor) plus fineness and date letter. Norwegian silver uses 830 silver historically, now 925.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia<\/h3>\n\n\n

Imperial Russian silver was assayed in zolotniks: 84 zolotniks (87.5 percent silver), 88 zolotniks (91.6 percent), and 91 zolotniks (94.7 percent). Marks include a city mark (Moscow uses St. George slaying the dragon, St. Petersburg uses crossed anchors), an assayer’s mark, and a maker mark. Faberg\u00e9 and other major Russian makers carry strong collector premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major Collectible Silver Makers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Signed pieces from major silver makers carry collector premium far exceeding melt value. The strongest names in the secondary market in 2026:<\/p>\n\n\n\n