Hallmark Identifier
A hallmark is a group of separate punches, not one symbol. Read them together: the purity mark indicates a metal standard, the town mark names the assay office that tested it, and the date letter gives the year once you know which office's cycle applies. Enter what you can see below and this tool looks up recognised stamps. A typed mark alone cannot authenticate the piece.
Purity and plating lookup plus modern UK date references (2015–2026). For older date letters, use an assay office’s tracing service.
Have the whole piece in front of you?
Photograph it in Histora for a first identification and estimated value. Include a close-up of any marks.
AI suggestions are a starting point, not a certified appraisal.
How to read a silver hallmark
- 1. Find the purity mark. A number such as 925, 800 or 958, or a word like STERLING. In British silver this is often a lion passant rather than a number. This tells you the metal content — and if it reads EPNS, EPBM or “silver on copper”, the piece is plated, not solid.
- 2. Identify the town mark. A small symbol for the assay office that tested the piece. This matters for older date letters, because each office ran its own independent cycle before 1975.
- 3. Read the date letter. A single letter for the assay year. Because the cycles repeat, the same letter maps to several possible years — the letterform and the shape of the punch outline are what separate them.
- 4. Note the maker's mark. Usually initials in a shaped punch. The sponsor may be the maker, importer or retailer; the initials alone do not certify the metal.
Assay office town marks
| Office | Town mark | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| London | Leopard's head | Crowned until 1821, uncrowned after. The oldest and most common office. |
| Birmingham | Anchor | Founded alongside Sheffield in 1773. Dominant for smaller wares and jewellery. |
| Sheffield | Crown (rose from 1975) | Used a crown until 1974; changed to a Yorkshire rose in 1975. Historically the cutlery centre. |
| Edinburgh | Castle | Scottish silver. A thistle mark accompanied the castle 1759-1974. |
Town marks and office dates are well documented. Glasgow (closed 1964) and Dublin are not yet covered — a piece bearing a tree/salmon/bell (Glasgow) or a crowned harp (Dublin) will not resolve here.
Plating and base-metal marks
These marks can be mistaken for solid silver. EPNS and similar stamps indicate plating; nickel silver and German silver name a base-metal alloy, which may or may not be plated. Read the complete set of stamps in context.
| Mark | Means |
|---|---|
| EPNS | Electro-Plated Nickel Silver. Not solid silver. A thin silver layer over a nickel alloy base. Very common on British tableware. |
| EPBM | Electro-Plated Britannia Metal. Not solid silver. Silver plating over a pewter-like alloy. |
| EP | Electro-Plated. A generic electroplating mark; read it with the other stamps. |
| A1 | Quality grade for plating. Indicates plating thickness, not solid silver. Often appears alongside EPNS. |
| SILVER ON COPPER | Sheffield plate or electroplate over copper. Not solid silver. Look for copper showing through at wear points. |
| NICKEL SILVER | A copper-nickel-zinc alloy. Contains no silver at all, despite the name. Also sold as 'German silver'. |
| GERMAN SILVER | A copper-nickel-zinc alloy. Contains no silver. A trade name, not a standard. |
Frequently asked questions
- How do I identify a silver hallmark?
- Read a British silver hallmark as a group of separate punches, not one symbol. The standard mark (a lion passant for sterling, or a number like 925) certifies the metal purity. The town mark — a leopard's head for London, an anchor for Birmingham, a crown or rose for Sheffield, a castle for Edinburgh — tells you which assay office tested it. For older marks, each office used its own date cycles; the four current UK offices have shared a date letter since 1975. The sponsor's mark identifies the registered party, which may be the maker, importer or retailer.
- What does 925 mean on silver?
- 925 denotes the sterling standard: 92.5% silver by weight. A number alone does not verify the metal; inspect the full hallmark and its surround. It is the most widely used silver standard in the world and appears on both British and American pieces. American silver often spells out STERLING instead of stamping the number.
- Is EPNS silver?
- EPNS stands for Electro-Plated Nickel Silver: a thin layer of silver electroplated over a nickel alloy base. It indicates silver plate rather than solid silver, though decorative EPNS pieces can still carry collectible value. EPBM (Electro-Plated Britannia Metal) and marks like A1 or 'Silver on Copper' also indicate plating rather than solid silver.
- How do I read a date letter on silver?
- A date letter is a single letter identifying the assay year, but the same letter recurs every cycle — roughly every 20 to 25 years depending on the office. To pin the year you need three things together: the letter itself, the town mark showing which office's chart applies, and the letterform and punch outline, which changed at each new cycle. This lookup includes modern references for 2015–2026 only. For an antique, compare the full mark with a historical chart or ask an assay office to trace it.
- Can I identify a hallmark from a photo?
- Worn or partial marks are often easier to read from a magnified photo than by eye. Photograph the mark straight on in raking light, which makes shallow punches legible. If the mark is too worn to decode by symbol, an image-based identifier app can suggest likely matches from the piece's overall form and decoration alongside whatever remains of the mark.
About this data
Purity standards are internationally published and stable. Fineness values are exact; regional notes describe typical usage rather than legal definitions in every jurisdiction.
Date references cover 2015–2026 only, checked against official assay-office publications. Older cycles are not included. A modern match does not rule out an older piece with the same letter. Compare the exact letterform and punch outline in the official source.
Sources: UK assay offices’ hallmarking guide (date chart on printed page 6) and London Assay Office’s guide to a complete hallmark. Each date result links to its source. Reference checked October 17, 2026.
Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll correct it.