Silver hallmarks are one of the most important factors in identifying antique silver jewelry, flatware, and other items. These small stamped symbols on the back or underside of silver items can tell you the purity of the silver, the manufacturer of the piece, and sometimes even the date it was made.
For a piece to be considered antique silver, it must be over 100 years old. Silver items from the nineteenth century and early twentieth would be classified as antiques. Vintage silver, on the other hand, is 50 years old or younger.
Look for a Stamp
If your antique silver technique is truly sterling silver and not simply plated, it will be stamped with a telltale hallmark. Typically found on the bottom of the piece, a silver stamp may include: The words “Sterling Silver' A numeric value (800, 900, 925, etc.)
A Helpful Definition
If it was made after 1950, it's definitely not antique or vintage—it's a set of modern flatware. For sets made prior to 1950 but after 1900, give or take a decade or two, vintage is usually the term used. If you have true antique silver flatware for sale, it should have been made before 1900.
Due to the fact that it possesses the highest electrical conductivity of any metal, it is a highly valuable material. Antique or vintage silver items can be worth far more than their silver content would suggest since they are made of silver, a precious metal.
A silver teaspoon usually contains a bit less than one troy ounce of silver metal. In a ten-year period from 2012 to 2022, the value of one troy ounce of silver ranged from a high of $37.23 to a low of $12.01. This equates to about a $25 difference in the value of a sterling silver spoon as scrap.
What If You Can't See A Hallmark? There is an exemption to the hallmarking rules whereby any sterling silver items that weigh less than 7.78 grams do not need to be hallmarked. This means that small items such as earrings and some light bracelets do not need to be hallmarked.
Silver dresser sets and their associated items (hairbrushes, mirrors etc.) will be hallmarked on the underside or on the handles. Nearly all silver items that have been made in England, Scotland and Ireland in the past five hundred years will have a hallmark consisting of 4 or 5 symbols stamped into the metal.
Despite its apparent toughness antique silver can be scratched, dented, fractured and can tarnish badly.
Antique Silver is a midtone, gray, twilight blue with a lavender undertone. It is a perfect paint color for main interior walls, especially with an open floor plan. Pair it with deep toned wood, honeyed or light wood and white trim.
The Ice Test
"Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any common metal or alloy," explains Martin. "Even at room temperature, authentic silver products will melt the ice at an exceedingly rapid rate. If it melts fast(er), it probably is silver."
Regular care of antique silver is key to effective cleaning and items should be routinely dusted with a soft cloth or brush. A baby's hair brush is gentle enough not to scratch or mark the silver and a baby's toothbrush or cotton bud will help in hard to reach places.
Polishing antique silver helps to keep the patina glowing. Regular, soft polishing is a good way to ensure your silverware only needs cleaning in the future to remove individual marks. If you can't find them then Town Talk, for example, has a good range of silver polishing cloths and mitts.
Polish is by nature abrasive, so you'll want to limit polishing sessions to a minimum. So while you might be tempted to clean away tarnish as soon as you notice it, you should clean silver as infrequently as possible.
Check the colouring of the item carefully; genuine silver is generally less shiny and colder in tone than silverplate. If you see places where the silver appears to be flaking off or turning green, the item is silver plated. To investigate further, you can try cleaning the item with a soft cloth.
Silver is not magnetic, not even with the strongest magnet. However, silver is diamagnetic. If you hold a silver coin at 45 degrees a suitable magnet will slide down it slowly. This is because the moving magnet sets up an 'electrical field'* that slows its fall.
Apply a drop of acid to the scratched surface only.
Alternatively, use a drop of vinegar (which is highly acidic) on the scratched piece. If it's real silver, the surface won't get tarnished. If the silver is fake, it will tarnish.
Look for the 925 marking.Genuine sterling silver jewelry will be marked with these three numbers or STERLING or STER. Hold a magnet to the silver. If the magnet sticks, your jewelry is not real sterling silver.
Morgan silver dollars have a face value of $1, are 90% silver, and are one of the most collectible coins in existence.
To determine the value of your piece, take the total ounces of silver and multiply that by the current spot price of silver. You can usually find this value online at financial statistics websites or precious metals dealers. At the time of this writing, the current value of silver is $16.56 per ounce.
Historically, Silver reached an all time high of 49.51 in April of 2011. Silver - data, forecasts, historical chart - was last updated on June of 2023.
Though tarnish on silver doesn't reduce its monetary value, it can make it unsightly. Cleaning and polishing the bars can bring back their natural beautiful luster.