Your silver will have a hallmark called a date letter. This marking will tell you when it was produced. However, the date letters used differ depending on where the silver was assayed. For example, the date letter for 1898 in London is a lowercase c, but in Sheffield, it's a lowercase f.
The purity mark for Irish silver is the harp crowned. The date mark is a letter indicating the exact year in which the piece was made. The typeface, whether the letter is uppercase or lowercase, and even the shape inside which the letter is stamped, must all be taken together to determine the year.
In this case the letter 'z' (2) indicates it was assayed in 1874. The date letter changes every year so you can precisely date the year it was made.
London Date Letter Chart - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks. to match the shield around the Date Letter Mark. The "F" was used, 1867 - 1904, in conjunction with a full set of London marks. The second mark was used from 1906.
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.)
Sterling silver (925): This is the standard for silver, identifying a silver item that is at least 92.5% 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.
As a result the date letter cycle is usually 25 years as opposed to 26. For example, due to the very simplistic font currently in use, it was decided that the letter 'i' should be omitted in 2008, with 'j' used instead and 'l' used in 2010.
The Lion Passant – This mark indicates the purity of the silver which is almost always 925 parts per 1000. In general (but not always) if your piece of silver does not have this mark amongst its hallmarks then it is likely not silver.
The "A1" mark is sometimes found on the reverse side of silver plated flatware and refers to the quality of the silver plate, i.e. "A1" is the best quality for that manufacturer. Lower qualities are usually referred to as "1" or "A", "B" etc.
[B]=BIRMINGHAM [C]=CHESTER [D]=DUBLIN [E]=EDINBURGH [EX]=EXETER [G]=GLASGOW [L]=LONDON [N]=NEWSCASTLE [S]=SHEFFIELD [Y]=YORK. (lower-case letter denote smaller ones but they may be capital letters) CLICK ON THE YELLOW NAME FOR MAKER'S MARK IMAGE. SILVERSMITH'S NAME.
Miller's Silver Marks app is the only product that will enable you to identify an unknown piece of silver from any country around the world – quickly and confidently.
The 925 stamp on silver jewellery is all about the purity of the silver. It means that for every 1000 parts of material in the jewellery piece, 925 parts must be made of silver and no more than 75 parts should be a different metal.
International Silver
Symbols for where it was made include an anchor for Birmingham and a crown for Sheffield (in 1975, it changed to a rose). Another mark is the head of the reigning monarch.
Some authors claims that the trumpet with banner trade mark was officially registered in 1881 though being in use prior to that. The "Trumpet and Banner" identifies without doubt Dixon's production. It is a fundamental element to prevent mistakes with the marks "JD & S" used by another Sheffield manufacturer.
Egg, vinegar, perfumes, perspiration, onions, peas, olives, salt, wool, skin oil and fruit juices can all tarnish silver immediately upon contact, due to the sulphur they contain. Over time, if tarnish is not removed completely, it forms dark areas in small creases and recessed areas. These are then termed a “patina”.
By far the vast majority of qualifying items made in the US ca. 1860 to 1970–especially items made before 1940–are marked sterling or sterling silver. Many vintage marks, but far from all, include the name of the manufacturer. Very rarely are qualifying pieces of American silver from those years marked only 925.
Most silver plated items are made of silver-on-copper. So if a magnet 'sticks' to the item, it cannot be silver or copper. If a suitable magnet shows the diamagnetic effect the item might be silver (most likely with a coin) or it could be silver-plating on copper. Do not confuse diamagnetism with magnetism.
There are actual laws and fines involved for the mis-marking and mis-representation of precious metal jewelry. So real, solid, quality silver jewelry should be marked: SS, 925, ST, STERLING, or even just SILVER.
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. Additional value is determined by the quality of the object, the skill of the creator, and the marketability of the silver item being sold.
The value of antique silver can vary depending on the type, rarity, and age. Antique silver can range in price from $5 for a common item to over $1 million for a rare item.
Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver. In this form the metal is beautiful and suffers from minimal tarnish, but it's generally too soft and malleable for many uses, including making most silver jewellery. Instead fine silver is alloyed with copper to create sterling silver, which is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper.