How to Price Silver
- The Time Traveller
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
A Collector’s Guide to Hallmarks, Value & Spotting White Metal
Silver has been treasured for centuries. From Georgian tea services to Art Deco cigarette cases, antique silver pieces continue to attract collectors, decorators, and investors alike.
But if you’ve ever picked up a silver item at a market or auction, you may have wondered:
Is it solid silver or plated?
Does it have a hallmark?
How do you calculate the value?
Understanding silver doesn’t require a degree in metallurgy. With a little knowledge of hallmarks and materials, you can quickly determine whether an item is decorative, collectible, or intrinsically valuable.
Let’s explore how.
1. The First Step: Check for a Silver Hallmark
In Britain, silver has been legally regulated for hundreds of years. The hallmarking system ensures that silver meets a specific purity standard before it can be sold.
Silver items are tested at official assay offices such as:
Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office
Birmingham Assay Office
Sheffield Assay Office
Edinburgh Assay Office
A full British hallmark usually includes several symbols.
The Lion Passant
The lion passant (a lion walking with one paw raised) indicates sterling silver, meaning the metal is 92.5% pure silver.
The Assay Office Mark
Each city has its own symbol.
Examples include:
Anchor – Birmingham
Crown (historic) or rose – Sheffield
Leopard’s head – London
Castle – Edinburgh
The Date Letter
A letter indicates the year the piece was assayed. The style of lettering changes each year, making it possible to date silver very precisely.
The Maker’s Mark
Usually two or three initials identifying the silversmith or company.
Example: Mappin & Webb, a famous British silversmith founded in 1775.
2. Understanding Silver Purity
Not all silver is the same quality. The purity affects both its value and collectability.
Common standards include:
Silver Type | Purity | Mark |
Sterling Silver | 92.5% | 925 or Lion Passant |
Britannia Silver | 95.8% | Britannia figure |
Coin Silver | ~90% | Common in early American silver |
Continental Silver | Usually 800–900 | Numeric marks like 800 or 835 |
British antique silver is most often sterling, which is highly desirable among collectors.
3. European Silver Marks
European silver uses a different marking system from Britain.
Instead of lions and city symbols, many continental pieces display numbers indicating purity.
Common marks include:
800 – 80% silver
835 – 83.5% silver
900 – 90% silver
925 – Sterling standard
For example, German silver from the 19th century often shows:
Crescent moon + crown + 800
French silver frequently carries the Minerva head hallmark, introduced in 1838.
European silver can still be very valuable, especially when it comes from renowned silversmithing regions such as France, Germany, Austria, or the Netherlands.
4. Beware of Silver Plate and White Metal
Not everything that looks like silver actually is.
Many Victorian and Edwardian items were made using electroplating, where a thin layer of silver is applied over a base metal.
Common plated marks include:
EPNS – Electro Plated Nickel Silver
A1 – High-quality silver plate
Silver on Copper
These pieces may be beautiful and collectible, but they usually have little intrinsic silver value.
What is White Metal?
White metal is a general term used for silver-coloured alloys that contain little or no silver.
They may be made from:
Nickel
Tin
Zinc alloys
White metal items often appear in decorative objects, costume jewellery, and export wares.
5. How to Calculate the Value of Silver
Once you know an item is solid silver, the next step is determining its value.
There are two main types of value:
1. Scrap Value (Metal Value)
Silver is traded globally. The value depends on the current silver price per gram or ounce.
To estimate scrap value:
Weigh the item (in grams).
Multiply by the silver purity.
Multiply by the current silver price.
Example:
Weight: 100 g
Purity: 92.5%
Silver content: 92.5 g
Then multiply by the silver market price.
Scrap value provides a minimum baseline value.
2. Antique or Collectible Value
Many silver items are worth far more than their metal content.
Collectors value:
Age
Maker
Design
Condition
Rarity
For example:
A Georgian teaspoon weighing 15 g might only contain a few pounds worth of silver, but as an antique it could sell for £30–£60 or more.
A large Victorian tea set by a famous maker could sell for hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
6. Practical Tips for Antique Hunters
When you find a silver-coloured object:
✔ Turn it over and look for marks✔ Use a magnifying glass✔ Check inside lids, handles, and bases✔ Look for numbers like 800 or 925✔ Be cautious of EPNS or A1 marks
With experience, you’ll start recognising genuine silver instantly.
Final Thoughts
Silver is one of the most rewarding materials to collect. It combines beauty, history, craftsmanship, and intrinsic value in a way few other antiques can match.
Understanding hallmarks and metal standards helps collectors avoid costly mistakes and uncover hidden treasures.
The next time you pick up a tarnished spoon, tea strainer, or cigarette case at a flea market, take a moment to examine the marks.
You might just be holding a piece of history.
✨ At Objet d’Art Stuff, we love discovering these stories hidden in metal — where craftsmanship meets heritage and every hallmark tells a tale.
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