Antique Silver
Silver is a precious metal which has been used by silversmiths for hundreds of years to create luxury goods such as candlesticks, cutlery, boxes and more. It is very easy to date Antique Silver, as silver is Hallmarked by law. The Hallmark allows people to see the Makers Mark, the Purity Mark and the Assay Office Mark of the item of silver in question. This allows buyers to get an accurate description of the origin and history of the silver item.
Silver has been in use for centuries and was used in various forms, such as for currency, for Industrial purposes and even for medicinal purposes. Although when in its' purest form silver is quite a soft metal, Sterling Silver is much harder wearing and is worth more as it is mixed with 7.5% copper, hence why most jewellery and silverware is made from sterling silver.
The Makers Mark
This refers to the maker of the item or the company (brand) that the item was produced under. As with everything, some manufacturers are more sought after than others so prices can vary dramatically according to who produced it. As you can see by the example below the makers hallmark shows the initials.
Maker: M&C - Mackay and Chisholm
The Assay Office Mark
The assay mark identifies what city the item was quality tested and assayed in. Only four Assay offices remain in the United Kingdom however over the years there have been a total of eleven assay offices. York (Closed 1857, Norwich (Closed 1702), Newcastle (Closed 1884), Glasgow (Closed 1964), Chester (Closed 1962), Exeter (Closed 1883), Dublin (No longer part of the UK).
The four remaining assay offices in the UK are London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh.
For item's assayed in Scotland you will see a hallmark of a thistle:
For item's assayed in Ireland you will see a hallmark of a crowned harp:
For item's assayed in England you will see a hallmark of a lion passant (side view of a lion):
The Purity (or Sterling) Mark
The Purity (or Sterling) mark guarantees the silver content to be at least 925 parts out of 1000.
Some common types of silver alloys, include:
Brittania Silver
An alloy made of 95 percent silver, which exceeds the requirement for sterling silver, is often marked 950. 950 silver will be slightly softer than any sterling pieces marked 925 or simply sterling.
Coin Silver
Coin Silver is made of 90 percent silver. Therefore, Coin Silver is referred to as an alloy and cannot be referenced as sterling. Marks include 900, coin, and standard.
European Silver
Sometimes referenced as Continental Silver, this is another non-sterling type of silver alloy. Marks can include 800, 825, 830, or 850 indicating 80, 82.5, 83 and 85 percent silver content respectively.
Silver-plate
The silver content in silver-plated wares is minimal. A silver-plate marking, sometimes incorporated into a manufacturer’s mark, indicates that the item was made by electroplating base metal with a relatively thin coating of silver. When items are marked Quadruple Plate, this indicates four layers of silver were applied to the item. These are higher in quality and less likely to wear down to the base metal with polishing over time. Since silver-plate does tarnish, like true silver it requires cleaning from time to time to keep its shine.
Sterling Silver
This is the standard for silver meaning that a silver item is at least 92.5 percent silver mixed with copper to give it strength. Marks on these pieces include 925 or sterling. Any mark indicating a higher silver content, such as 950, would also qualify as sterling.
