Sterling vs Silver Plate Marks: Silver Hallmarks Explained

Sterling silver is 925 parts per thousand silver, and its marks say so: a British piece carries a hallmark with a lion passant or “925” plus an assay office mark, while American pieces are stamped “Sterling.” Silver plate carries marks such as EPNS, EPBM or “Silver Plate,” or only a maker’s name, and never a legal sterling hallmark.

For cocktail shakers, ice buckets, coasters and decanter mounts, telling the two apart is the first step in judging value.

What does “sterling” actually mean?

Sterling is an alloy of 925 parts per thousand silver. The Birmingham Assay Office describes it as the standard used in Britain since the 16th century and still the best-known British standard. A higher British standard, Britannia silver, contains 958 parts per thousand and was introduced in 1697.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission’s Guides for the jewelry and precious metals industries apply to flatware and hollowware as well as jewelry. They say the words “sterling” or “sterling silver” may be used only for metal that is at least 925/1,000ths pure silver. The term “coin” or “coin silver” requires at least 900/1,000ths.

Federal law adds a rule aimed squarely at plate. Under 15 U.S.C. 297, plated articles may not be stamped with the word “sterling” or “coin,” alone or with other words.

How do you read a British hallmark?

A British hallmark is a group of small punched marks, usually in a row. The Birmingham Assay Office lists three compulsory marks and several optional ones.

Mark	Compulsory?	What it shows	Examples
Sponsor’s mark	Yes	Who submitted the piece for hallmarking	Initials inside a shaped shield
Fineness mark	Yes	The silver standard	“925” for sterling; the traditional lion passant for sterling, Britannia figure for 958
Assay office mark	Yes	Where the piece was tested and marked	Birmingham: anchor. London: leopard’s head. Sheffield: crown, later a rose
Date letter	Now optional	The year of hallmarking	A letter in a shaped shield; the style changes by year and office
Duty mark	Historic	Tax paid, 1784 to 1890	The sovereign’s head

A short history that helps with dating

The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London traces British hallmarking to a statute of 1300 that required silver to be marked with the leopard’s head. A date letter followed in 1478, and the lion passant came into use in 1544.

From 1784 a duty on gold and silver added the sovereign’s head, and that mark disappeared when the tax was withdrawn in 1890. A sovereign’s head on a piece therefore points to the years between those dates.

Sheffield’s office used a crown on silver from 1773. After the Hallmarking Act of 1973, Sheffield dropped the crown and used its rose on both gold and silver. The Act came into effect on 2 January 1975.

Date letters are the most precise dating tool. The Birmingham Assay Office notes that the system was standardized across UK offices from 1975, so for older pieces you need the date-letter chart for the correct office. Date letters are now optional.

How are American sterling pieces marked?

On American silver, look for the word “Sterling” or the number “925,” usually with a maker’s name or trademark.

The federal rules above mean that “Sterling” on its own is a claim of solid silver at the 925 standard. The FTC Guides also say that any unqualified use of the word “silver” should come with a fineness figure in parts per thousand, such as “925 silver.”

What do silver plate marks look like?

The Birmingham Assay Office lists EPNS (electroplated nickel silver), EPBM and “Silver Plate” as marks that indicate a plated item, not solid silver. Many plated pieces also carry only a maker’s name and a pattern or model number.

Two historic kinds of plate matter for barware collectors:

• Sheffield plate (fused plate). The V&A dates its discovery to about 1742, when the Sheffield cutler Thomas Boulsover found that silver fused to copper could be rolled into sheets and worked like silver. Objects were formed after the metal was plated.
• Electroplate. Patented by Elkington and Co. of Birmingham in the 1840s, electroplating quickly replaced Sheffield plate, according to the V&A. Electroplated objects were shaped in base metal first and then plated. The V&A describes an 1867 Elkington coffee pot in electroplated nickel silver marked “Elkington and Co” with model numbers on the base.

Plate is not a lesser object by default. The V&A notes that Elkington became the largest and most successful silversmithing business in England in the 19th century. But plated pieces are valued differently from sterling.

How do you check a shaker, ice bucket or coaster?

• Find the marks first. Look on the base, near the rim or on the lid. Photograph them in raking light and compare them with the tables above.
• Read the whole group. A British sterling hallmark needs a fineness mark and an assay office mark. A row of small symbols with neither is not a sterling hallmark.
• Check for wear through the plate. On plate, polishing and use can expose the base metal on high points and edges. Sheffield plate has a copper core and electroplate is usually on copper or nickel silver, so a different-colored metal showing through suggests plate.
• Check every part. Lids, strainers and handles can be replacements, and each may carry its own marks.

For shaker styles (cobbler, Boston and Parisian) and the Art Deco and novelty designs collectors seek, see our guide to vintage cocktail shakers.

The V&A explains that decanter coasters let guests slide decanters across the table without scratching it. Coasters appear in both sterling and plate, so the same checks apply.

Vintage sterling silver cocktail shakers

Browse current vintage silver cocktail shakers on eBay, pre-owned pieces, from $150.

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• Silver plate shakers

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Vintage silver-plate ice buckets

Browse current vintage silver ice buckets on eBay, pre-owned pieces, from $75.

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Related guides

For how silver fits into a decanter collection, see our guide to collecting vintage crystal decanters. Before buying online, read how to buy vintage barware on eBay safely. Crystal makers mark their pieces too; our guide to Waterford decanter marks and dating shows how.