UK Silver Hallmarks: How to Read British Silver Marks

A UK silver hallmark is not one stamp but a small set of them, struck by an assay office after the metal has been tested. On a modern piece the set has three compulsory parts: the sponsor's mark, the fineness mark, and the assay office's town mark. A lion, a figure of Britannia, or a date letter may sit beside them. Older British silver often shows a lion where newer silver shows a number, and it can carry marks that are no longer struck.

Read the whole set before you read any one symbol. Together the marks say who sent the piece for hallmarking, the silver standard it was tested to, which assay office marked it, and often the year. They do not say what the piece is worth, who designed it, or whether a later repair used the same metal.

The marks in a UK silver hallmark

The UK assay offices' guidance lists three compulsory marks and several optional ones. All three compulsory marks must be present for a complete hallmark.

The UK has belonged to the Convention since 1972. A piece with a Convention hallmark from another member country does not need to be hallmarked again to be sold as silver in the UK. A Convention hallmark still includes a sponsor's mark and an assay office mark.

Silver standards: 800, 925, 958, and 999

UK assay offices hallmark silver at four standards. 800 is the lowest fineness that can be hallmarked as silver, and each number is a minimum: a piece marked 925 contains at least 925 parts silver per thousand.

For what the same numbers mean outside the UK, see what 925 means on jewelry and 958 Britannia silver.

The lion passant and the figure of Britannia

The walking lion, or lion passant, marks sterling silver of 925 parts per thousand. The London assay office records that it began to appear in the hallmark in 1544. Silver hallmarked in Scotland uses a standing lion, the lion rampant, for the same standard.

The rules changed in 1999. Before then the date letter and the traditional standard mark, the lion for sterling, were compulsory. From 1999 the fineness number became compulsory and the lion optional. That is why older British sterling shows a lion with no 925, while newer pieces may show 925 with no lion.

A lion struck on its own, without a sponsor's mark and a town mark, is not a complete UK hallmark. Treat it as a claim to check, not as proof.

The figure of Britannia marks 958 silver. From 1697 to 1720 this higher standard was compulsory for silver plate, and the marks changed with it: a lion's head erased and a seated figure of Britannia replaced the leopard's head and the lion passant. A statute of 1719 restored the sterling standard, and Britannia remained an alternative.

Town marks: which assay office tested it

The town mark tells you which assay office tested and marked the piece, and therefore whose records to use for the date letter.

A crown on Sheffield silver therefore points to hallmarking before that change. A crown beside a gold fineness number is a different mark: in current guidance it is the traditional symbol for gold.

Older silver can also carry the town mark of an assay office that has since closed. Identify those with historical references for that office rather than by matching them to the four current marks.

Date letters: when the piece was hallmarked

The date letter shows the year of hallmarking, and it changes on 1 January. Until 1975 each UK assay office ran its own sequence of letters, so the same letter can mean different years at different offices. Since 1975 all offices use the same letter, typeface, and cycle.

Read a date letter in three parts: the letter, its typeface and case, and the shape of the shield around it. Then check it against the date-letter tables of the office whose town mark sits beside it. Birmingham keeps an archive of every date letter it has struck since it opened in 1773.

Recent letters, from the assay offices' guidance:

A date letter dates the hallmarking, not the design or every part of the piece. Since 1999 it has been optional, so a modern hallmark without one is normal.

Older marks on antique British silver

Antique silver can carry marks that modern hallmarks no longer use. The London assay office's history records these:

Unmarked, small, and 925-only silver

In the UK, anything described as silver in the course of business must be hallmarked, whether it is new or pre-owned, unless it is exempt. The exemptions explain why many genuine pieces carry no hallmark:

• Light pieces. Silver articles of at least 800 fineness that weigh under 7.78 grams do not need a hallmark. For a piece made of silver and base metal, the weight counts all the metal. Small pieces may carry a 925 stamp instead of a full hallmark.
• Old pieces. An item made before 1950 can be sold as silver without a hallmark if the seller can prove that it meets the minimum fineness and was made before 1950.
• Gold-plated silver. It is hallmarked as silver. It may be described as silver gilt, or as silver with the words gold plated, as in "18ct gold plated silver ring". See vermeil for the U.S. and UK rules.

Plating marks such as EPNS or silver plate are not hallmarks; they describe a silver layer over another metal. To check a piece with no marks, see how to tell if silver is real.

How to read a hallmark step by step

1. Photograph the whole piece, then each mark straight on with a loupe or macro lens in soft, even light. Do not polish or file a faint mark.
2. Find the town mark first. It tells you which office's records to use.
3. Read the fineness number or the traditional symbol beside it.
4. Copy the sponsor's mark exactly, including the shape of its surround.
5. Read the date letter with its typeface, case, and shield, and look it up in that office's tables.
6. Check each part on its own. A clasp, chain, or later repair can be unmarked or marked differently.
7. If a decision depends on the answer, ask an assay office or a jeweller. The UK assay offices answer questions about marks.

For the general method behind steps 1 to 6, see how to read jewelry hallmarks. For how the British system compares with U.S. quality marks and the Convention, see jewelry hallmarks by country.

What a hallmark does not prove

A UK hallmark is strong evidence about the silver standard of the part it is struck on, at the time it was marked. The sponsor's mark identifies who was responsible for the piece, not necessarily who made it. The hallmark says nothing about stones, enamel, or later additions, and a worn or misread mark can mislead. It is not a valuation.

A clear photo can record every mark and its position. The jewelry identifier by photo can read the marks in a picture and suggest what they claim, and the Jewelry Identifier app keeps notes on each piece. Availability can differ by storefront. Treat a photo reading as a lead, and confirm it with the assay office's records or a metal test when the answer matters.

What does a lion mean on silver?

A walking lion, the lion passant, is the traditional British mark for sterling silver of 925 parts per thousand. On silver hallmarked in Scotland the sterling lion is a standing lion rampant. A lion on its own, without a sponsor's mark and a town mark, is not a complete UK hallmark.

What does an anchor mean on a hallmark?

An anchor is the town mark of the Birmingham Assay Office, which opened in 1773. It means the piece was tested and hallmarked in Birmingham. Read it with the fineness number or the lion beside it to find the silver standard, and with the date letter to find the year.

What does a crown mean on silver?

On Sheffield silver, a crown is the old town mark, used until the Hallmarking Act 1973 took effect, after which Sheffield used the rose. Beside a gold fineness number, a crown is the traditional symbol for gold, so read it with the marks around it.

Is silver without a hallmark real silver?

It can be. In the UK, silver pieces under 7.78 grams do not need a hallmark, and pieces made before 1950 can be sold as silver without one if the seller can prove their fineness and age. An unmarked piece needs a metal test, not an assumption.

How do I find the year on a silver hallmark?

Find the date letter and the town mark beside it. Since 1975 every UK assay office uses the same letter each year, changing on 1 January. Before 1975 each office ran its own cycle, so check that office's date-letter tables, including the shape of the shield.