Selling silver
How to check silver hallmarks: UK and US purity marks explained
A hallmark tells you how pure an item's silver is, and sometimes where and when it was tested. Reading it correctly is the first step to working out what a piece is worth.
UK hallmarks
UK silver is tested and marked by an assay office. A full traditional hallmark contains several small stamps, usually found on the back of a spoon handle, the base of a cup or inside a ring.
- Sponsor's mark: initials of the maker or company
- Fineness mark: a number such as 925 or 958, often with a lion passant (sterling) or Britannia figure (Britannia silver)
- Assay office mark: e.g. a leopard's head for London, an anchor for Birmingham, a rose for Sheffield, a castle for Edinburgh
- Date letter: a letter showing the year of testing
US and international marks
The US has no official assay system, so makers stamp items themselves. Look for 'Sterling' or '925' on sterling pieces and 'Coin' or '900' on older coin silver. European pieces often show 800, 830 or 835.
- 999: fine silver
- 958: Britannia silver
- 925 / Sterling: 92.5% silver
- 900 / Coin: 90% silver
- 800: common on continental European silver
Marks that mean plated, not solid
Some stamps look official but indicate only a thin silver coating. EPNS (electroplated nickel silver), EP, A1, 'silver plate' and 'nickel silver' all point to plated items with very little scrap value. Nickel silver contains no silver at all.
If there is no mark
Unmarked items may still be silver, especially small or older pieces, but do not assume so. A jeweller or dealer can test them. Once you know the purity and weight, check the price of silver today to estimate the melt value.
Found the purity mark? Enter the weight and purity to see the live melt value.
Use the scrap silver calculator