![]() ![]() Each year is represented by a different letter of the alphabet. Another mark will give the year that the item was assayed (generally speaking the year it was made) -these are letters in a shield device. There is another mark – generally the sovereign’s head – which will certify that duty was paid on the piece. London, Birmingham, Chester, Sheffield, Dublin, Edinburgh, etc. There is a mark which will tell you in what city it was assayed (i.e. In addition to the Lion Passant there are other marks which give more information about the sterling silver object. You may be sure that an object bearing this mark is English sterling silver made after 1719. The mark is a Lion Passant-the image of a lion walking, facing left. That standard means an item is made of 92.5% pure silver. In 1719 Parliament established the standard for purity for sterling silver and instituted a mark indicating that an item is of sufficient purity to be deemed sterling. As silver objects made before 1700 are quite rare, I shall restrict my comments to those made after that date. This helped to protect the consumer, for if it was determined that the silver object was not actually pure enough to be marked as silver, the culprit could be found and punishment could be meted out. The marks made it possible to trace the maker and the place of manufacture. In England silver has been marked in some manner since the 12th century when it was first regulated by Parliament. ![]() Now I would like to offer some tips on how to determine whether a given object is silver, Old Sheffield Plate or silverplate. In Part I, I gave a brief history of the development of the British silverplating industry in the 18th and 19th centuries. How to Differentiate Between Silver, Old Sheffield Plate and Silverplate ![]()
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