A Brief History of Antique Silver.
Solid Silver also known as Sterling Silver is not what many people believe to be, pure silver, it is a mixture of silver and another metal, not always, but usually copper, the two metals are alloyed using 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper resulting in sterling silver. (Pure silver alone (99.9%) is much too soft for the creation of large silver items.) Although the combination of the two metals reduces the purity somewhat of the silver, it adds strength to the finished article. After the alloying process the silver still retains its capability to be moulded, reshaped or hammered without breakage or damage, but most of all the shimmering beauty of the silver is still there for all to see. So now we have a final product of sterling silver to do whatever we like with and over the centuries the artistic talents of the silversmiths went to town with their creations and designs, many of which today have become very sought after Antique Silver collectibles. As time went by countries became inundated with items of silverware, which brought about the introduction of hallmarking on all gold and silver items being sold to determine the fineness of an item. Hallmarking was first introduced in England about 1300 when the then King Edward I instructed the Goldsmiths’ Guild of London to carry out tests (assays) on all gold and silver items and to stamp them as a guarantee of fineness before they could be sold. So for the past 700 years no item of silver has been allowed to change hands for money unless it passed the test (assay) and bore the stamp (hallmark) of approval. This first stamp was decided to be a ‘Leopards Head’. Over the years in Britain more stamps were added to identify the maker, the town or city or origin and the year the item was tested (assayed). In the mid 16th century the ‘Leopard Head’ stamp was replaced with the ‘Lion Passant’ this new stamp was a guarantee that the purity of the silver was 92.5%, Sterling Standard in England. So if you have an item of silverware that you are unsure about, just look for the hallmarks, if they are there, these hallmarks will tell you everything about your item ….. If they are not there then the item is either a foreign piece or not sterling silver at all. When buying Antique Sterling (Solid) Silverware just look for the ‘Lion Passant’ (a heraldic lion standing on three paws with one paw raised and facing left) stamp, if it’s there, it’s the real thing.
Note: It is doubtful, but not unknown, that you may come across a piece of sterling (solid) silver with no hallmarks, but these pieces are very rare indeed. So if in doubt take it to an expert, he or she will be able to tell you if it’s genuine or not.
If you would like any further information about hallmarks or the different assay offices please visit the link at the foot of the page (925-1000.com). You will find a wealth of resources regarding silver marks, hallmarks and makers marks.
Silver plating or electroplating is not to be confused with Sheffield Plate or Old Sheffield Plate (that’s another story). Electroplating is the process of coating a base metal with a fine layer of silver by means of electrolysis and was invented in 1840 by a company called Elkington from Birmingham, England. It was a time of rising wealth known as Victorian Britain and demand for all things fine and status promoting was at an all time high and silverware seemed to be at the top of everyone’s shopping list. With new factories sprouting up all over England for the manufacturing of silverware, the arrival of electroplating could not have come at a better time. Many elaborately designed silverware products were produced to quench the thirst of these Victorians who were looking for a cheaper alternative to sterling or solid silver items. In the early days of electroplating the base metal commonly used was copper then eventually nickel became the more popular option. Many of the first pieces of silverware to be produced using this method were stamped with pseudo-hallmarks by their manufacturers but in 1896 this practice was made illegal due to confusing customers. From then on pieces of silver plate had to be marked EPNS (Electro Plated Nickel Silver) where the base metal was nickel silver. Other examples of marks can also be found such as EPBM (Electro Plated Britannia Metal), EPWM (Electro Plated White Metal) and EPC (Electro Plated Copper). Because there was no law (and still isn’t) governing that silver plated pieces be stamped using the hallmark method as with solid silver, this led to confusion with buyers and dealers as to the age of a silver plate product. There were some makers that added a date letter to their silverware to verify its age, but not all makers took this action, therefore dating a piece of silver plate usually comes down to establishing how a piece was made by its style and design. To the trained eye of an expert this method of dating will result in a reasonably accurate estimate of an items age.
