Silver Hallmark Identifier: Sterling, 925 and UK Marks
A STERLING or 925 stamp means 92.5% silver. A UK hallmark with 925 and an office symbol was tested and marked by an assay office.
- Sterling (925), per gram
- $1.56
- Metal value at the live silver price
- Coin silver (900), per gram
- $1.52
- Metal value at the live silver price
- Silver plate
- Almost nothing
- A thin coat over base metal
Hold the piece under good light and look near the clasp, the back or the base. Find the marks, pick them in the tool below, and you get the silver content and what the marks mean. Marks tell you what the maker claims. They do not replace a test.
Identify a mark
Pick where the piece comes from, then the marks you can read. Use a 10x loupe or your phone camera zoomed in.
A stamp is a maker’s claim in the US and most of Europe. A UK hallmark was applied by an independent assay office after testing. Neither replaces a test: see how to test if silver is real.
US and Mexican stamps
The US has no official hallmarking system. Makers stamp their own claim, and the FTC rule for jewelry and silverware (16 CFR 23) says a piece sold as sterling must be at least 92.5% silver and one sold as coin silver at least 90%.
| Stamp | Means | Silver |
|---|---|---|
| STERLING, STER, 925 | Sterling silver | 92.5% silver |
| COIN, PURE COIN, 900 | Coin silver | About 90% silver |
| MEXICO 925, TAXCO, an eagle mark | Mexican sterling | 92.5% silver |
| EP, EPNS, A1, SILVER PLATE, QUADRUPLE PLATE | Silver plate | A thin coat over base metal |
| GERMAN SILVER, NICKEL SILVER | No silver at all | 0% silver |
Watch for words that sound like silver but are not: silver plate, EPNS, nickel silver, German silver and Alpaca. Weighted sterling (candlesticks, some handles) has a filling inside, so weigh only the silver part.
European silver marks
Continental Europe uses its own fineness numbers. They are the maker’s or country’s claim, not US or UK law.
| Stamp | Means | Silver |
|---|---|---|
| 800, 835, 900 | European standard silver | 80%, 83.5% or 90% silver |
Continental European marks for lower fineness silver. 800 is common on German and Italian pieces. 835 is typical for Dutch and German work.
UK hallmarks
UK silver over a small weight must be hallmarked by an assay office. The Hallmarking Act 1973 names the compulsory marks. A hallmark has these parts:
- Maker’s or sponsor’s mark. Initials in a shape, registered with the assay office.
- Fineness number. The parts of silver per thousand.
- Assay office mark. A symbol for the office that tested it.
- Date letter (optional since 1999) and traditional symbols such as the lion passant.
| Number | Name | Silver | Traditional symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| 925 | Sterling | 92.5% | Lion passant (a walking lion, optional since 1999) |
| 958 | Britannia | 95.8% | Britannia, a seated figure (optional since 1999) |
| 800 | Standard silver | 80% | No traditional symbol |
| 999 | Fine silver | 99.9% | No traditional symbol |
Many modern UK marks also carry the Common Control Mark, used by countries in the Vienna Convention. For silver it is a mark shaped like the letter M, with the fineness number inside. It means the piece was tested in a member country.
Date letters
Before 1975 each assay office had its own letter series. Since 1975 all UK offices use the same letter for the same year, and the letter changes every January.
- 1975 to 1999: capital letters A to Z, with J left out. 1975 is A, 1999 is Z.
- 2000 to 2024: small letters a to z, with I left out. 2000 is a, 2008 is j, 2024 is z.
- 2025 onward: a new cycle starts at A, in a new typeface and shield. 2025 is A and 2026 is B.
Type a letter or a year into the tool above to convert in either direction. For marks before 1975, check the office’s own tables; the letter alone does not give the year.
What a marked piece is worth
As scrap, a sterling piece is worth its silver content: weight in grams × 0.925 × the silver price per gram. Buyers pay 70% to 90% of that, depending on who buys and how much you sell. Antique, signed and collector pieces can be worth far more than the metal, so check the maker before you melt anything. Plated pieces are worth almost nothing as metal.
Scrap silver calculator · Sterling silver value per gram · Where to sell
Sources: Hallmarking Act 1973; UK assay office hallmark information; Hallmark (Wikipedia) for the Common Control Mark; FTC Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals and Pewter Industries, 16 CFR 23.7. Date letter cycles as published by UK assay offices and antique silver references.
Not investment advice. Lustre is not investment, tax or legal advice. Prices move and you can lose money buying metals or coins. Read the editorial policy to see how prices and figures are sourced.
Quick answers
What does 925 mean on silver?
925 means 925 parts silver in 1000, or 92.5% silver. It is the same as sterling. The rest is usually copper, which makes the silver hard enough for jewelry and flatware.
Is STERLING on a piece enough to trust it?
It is a good sign, not proof. In the US a maker who stamps STERLING is claiming at least 92.5% silver, and the FTC jewelry guides say the claim must be true. A stamp can still be faked, so test a piece you plan to sell.
What is coin silver?
Coin silver is about 90% silver. American makers used it before roughly 1870, often stamping COIN or PURE COIN. It is worth less per gram than sterling.
What do the UK symbols on silver mean?
A UK hallmark shows who made it (the maker’s mark), how pure it is (a number such as 925), and which assay office tested it (a symbol: leopard’s head for London, anchor for Birmingham, rose for Sheffield, castle for Edinburgh). A letter for the year may be added.
Is the lion passant still required?
No. Since 1 January 1999 the lion passant and the date letter are optional on UK silver. The compulsory marks are the maker’s mark, the assay office mark and the fineness number.
Does a hallmark tell me where the piece was made?
No. The office mark shows where the piece was tested. Pieces are often made elsewhere and sent to an assay office, and the office does not have to be in the maker’s town.
What if a piece has no marks at all?
Some old, small or handmade pieces were never marked. Unmarked does not mean it is not silver, and marked does not prove it is. Run the tests in the silver testing guide, or get an XRF test from a jeweler or coin shop.
Try it on your coins
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