Read a silver hallmark
A full British hallmark is four punches, and a photo of one punch is not a date.
01
Sponsor
Who made it
02
Standard
Lion (sterling)
03
Town
Assay office
04
Date letter
Year cycle
Photograph the mark — do not expect a reading from a blurry crop.
The British set
The punches you meet on English silver. Lion passant is first because that is the mark most searches name.
| Punch | What it proves | What it does not |
|---|---|---|
| Lion passant | English sterling standard (.925) on most pieces after the mid-16th century. | Which town assayed it, or the year. A decorative trade lion is not this mark. |
| Leopard head | London assay office (form changes with the century). | Purity by itself — read it with the standard mark. |
| Anchor | Birmingham assay office. | That the piece is old; Birmingham marked modern sterling too. |
| Crown | Sheffield assay on silver for much of the 18th–20th centuries (later a rose). | Gold purity. A crown with a number is a different gold convention. |
| Britannia | Higher Britannia standard (.958) used in Britain from 1697 and revived later. | Ordinary sterling. If you see Britannia, do not call it .925. |
| Date letter | A year window inside one assay office’s alphabet, font, and shield cycle. | A year from the letter alone across towns — each office ran its own cycle. |
| Duty mark | Sovereign’s head showing duty paid, roughly 1784–1890 on British silver. | A date after duty ended, or purity without the other punches. |
Sterling is the walking lion (.925). Britannia is the seated figure (.958). Same metal family, different legal standard — do not mix the two in a listing.
Plate versus sterling
EPNS, EP, A1, and a lion that is not a standard mark. Plate can look bright and still fail the assay test.
- No town mark from an assay office.
- No date letter in an official shield cycle.
- The words “silver plate,” EPNS, EP, A1, or a maker’s trade name instead of a lion passant standard.
France, in short
- Minerva head marks French silver standards after 1838 (numeral in the punch for the grade).
- Crab and weevil appear on small works and specific categories — they are not British town marks.
- A French mark is not dated the British way; there is no English-style annual date letter on the same stack.
- Treat France as its own system. Do not force a London reading onto a Minerva punch.
A dedicated French poinçon page (liste des poinçons d’argent) will carry the full chart. This block stays short on purpose.
A worn punch
What you can still say
- A partial lion passant can still support “likely English sterling” when the outline and gait match the standard mark.
- A town mark fragment can narrow the office if enough of the shield survives.
What you cannot
- No date from a missing letter.
- No sterling from a shape that might only be a trade lion on plate.
- No confident maker when the sponsor punch is polished flat.
Porcelain is a different page
Crossed swords, Dresden crowns, and factory blanks are ceramic systems. They do not belong in the silver table — mixing them is why a page ranks for neither job.
Questions
What does a lion passant mean?+
On English silver it is the sterling standard mark (.925), not a town mark. London, Birmingham, and other offices each add their own town punch beside it. A lion on plate or on a trade stamp is not the same thing.
Can silver plate have a lion?+
Yes — makers used decorative lions and trade marks on EPNS and similar plate. Plate usually lacks a true assay town mark and date letter. EPNS, EP, A1, or “silver plate” wording is the giveaway.
How do I read a date letter?+
Match the letter, the font, and the shield to one assay office’s published cycle. The same letter means different years in London and Birmingham. Without the town mark, the letter is incomplete.
Can a photo replace an assay office?+
No. A clear photo can name likely punches and flag uncertainty. It cannot certify metal, restore a missing letter, or stand in for insurance or legal documentation.
Photograph the mark, then the whole object
A sharp crop of the punch stack first. Then the piece. AntiqID can help read what is still visible — it will not invent a date from a blur.
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