SILVER FINENESS MARKS
NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS OF SILVER PURITY DEGREE
The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of fine metal therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hardness and durability of coins and jewelry, alter colors, decrease the cost per weight, or avoid the cost of high-purity refinement.
Most countries have silver standards based on the parts per thousand of pure metal by mass in the alloy. Other systems express the silver standard in other ways as "zolotnick" (Russia) and "loth" (loth in Austria and German area, luoti in Finland, lődig in Norway). Various other standards were used in the past centuries in other European countries (e.g. Italy, France, Portugal, Spain).
The marks used to certify the level of silver purity are the corresponding number, a number and one or more letters, a symbol or a mix of symbol/number/letter.
In this page are reported only the most common standards actually adopted in silver manufacture, ignoring those that, even if authorized, are scarcely used.
To know or identify purity degree can be useful to answer the question: where it was made this silver item?
Use the link on country name to connect directly to the corresponding marks page.
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10 (dinheiros, fineness = .833)
Brazil
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12 (loth fineness = .750)
Austria (12 and symbol) - Germany (12)
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13 (loth fineness = .812,5)
Austria (13 and symbol) - Finland (13, 13L into a rectangle or an oval) - Germany (13)
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13 1/2 - 13 1/3 - 13 1/4 (loth fineness)
rarely used in Norway and Finland (19th century)
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14 (loth fineness = .875)
Austria and Germany
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15 (loth fineness = .937,5)
Austria (15 and symbol) - Germany (15)
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78 (zolotnik fineness = .812,5)
Finland (78 into an oval or a rectangle)
84 (zolotnik fineness = .875)
Estonia (84EW into an oval) - Finland (84 into a rectangle) - France (84 into a rectangle: SILVERPLATE) - Iran (84 into a rectangle) - Poland (under Russian Empire) - Russia (84 and symbol)
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84 (SILVERPLATE)
France (84 into a square contour)
French silverplate mark, sometimes mistaken with Russian marks (zolotnik)
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88 (zolotnik fineness = .916)
Russia (88 and symbol)
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90 (SILVERPLATE)
Austria (SILVERPLATE: 90 into contours of various shape) - Germany (SILVERPLATE: 90 into contours of various shape) - The Netherlands (SILVERPLATE: 90 iinto contours of various shape) - Switzerland (SILVERPLATE: 90 into contours of various shape)
90 is the weight in grams used for silvering 12 forks and 12 spoons. 90 is the most frequent, but various other silver quantity of silver can be used in the process and the corresponding number is punched in silverplated flatware. (20, 40, 60, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 150, 180)
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500 (millesimal fineness)
Bulgaria (crown and "A5")
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600 (millesimal fineness)
Egypt (Arabic number) |
750 (millesimal fineness)
Austria (Diana head with "4" - Bulgaria (crown and "A4") - Czechia and Slovakia (woman's head and "4" or "5", hare's head and "6") - Egypt (Arabic number) - Hungary (Diana's head facing right and "4") - Poland (woman's head facing right and "4") - Romania (two fishes and "III", crown figural, wheat's ear and sickle, 750 and tower) - Spain (9D and crown, comet)
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800 (millesimal fineness)
Argentina (800 into a lozenge, into a rectangle or without contour) - Austria (tucan facing left with "4", 800Ag) - Austria-Hungary (Diana head with "3") - Belgium (A800, Janus head) - Czechia and Slovakia (woman's head and "3" or "4", "5" inside a triangle, hare's head and "5") - Denmark (800S) - Egypt (Arabic number) - Estonia (800 into oval, shaped oval, rectangle) - Finland (800 into a rectangle) - France (cock, Minerva head, ancient man and various figural marks with "2") - Germany (800) - Hungary (Diana's head and "3", 800 and woman's head)) - Indonesia (800) - Italy (800 into an oval, woman's head with "3") - Japan (800 into a lozenge) - Lithuania (0,800, 800, 800 and symbol into a shaped contour) - Malta (800 into a rectangle) - The Netherlands (Z800) - Poland (women's head facing left or right and "3") - Portugal (800 and bird's head) - Romania (two fishes and "II", crown figural, wheat's ear and sickle, 800 and tower) - Spain (800V1 or other letters as M1, A1, AR1 etc. identifying the assay office into a rectangle, 800B2 into a rectangle) - Sweden (S into a hexagon) - Switzerland (black grouse facing right, 0.800, 800)
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ARG.800 (SILVERPLATE)
Italy (ARG. 800 or ARGENTO 800: SILVERPLATE)
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813 (millesimal fineness)
Finland (813, 813H into a rectangle)
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826 (millesimal fineness)
Denmark (826, 826S)
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830 (millesimal fineness)
Belgium (A830) - Denmark (830, 830S) - Estonia (830 into a rectangle) - Finland (830, 830H into a rectangle) Germany (830) - Lithuania (830 and symbol into a shaped contour) - Malta (after 1982) - Norway (830S with or without outline) - Portugal (830 and eagle's head facing right)- Sweden (830)
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833 (millesimal fineness)
The Netherlands (lion passant towards right with "2") - Portugal (eagle or eagle's head, boar or boar's head facing left with "II", 833 and eagle facing left)
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835 (millesimal fineness)
Austria(hoopoe head facing right with "3", 835Ag) - Belgium (A830, AG835, four petals figural) - Czechia and Slovakia (woman's head and "3" or "4", "4" inside a triangle, hare's head and "4") - Egypt (Arabic number) - Germany (835) - Hungary (835 and woman's head) - Malta (835 into a rectangle) - The Netherlands (lion passant towards right with "II", 835 into a dagger) - Portugal (835 and eagle's head facing right)
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850 (millesimal fineness)
Bulgaria (crown and "A3")
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875 (millesimal fineness)
Estonia (875 into an oval) - Finland (875H into a rectangle) - Latvia (queen's head and 875 into a shaped oval) - Lithuania (875 and symbol into a shaped contour) - Malta (after 1964) - Poland (women's head facing left or right and "2") - Romania (wheat's ear and sickle, 875 and tower) - Russia (875 and hammer and sickle) - Switzerland (standing bear facing left)
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900 (millesimal fineness)
Argentina (900) -
Austria (Diana or hoopoe head with "2", 900Ag) - Belgium (A900) - Bulgaria (crown and "A2") - Colombia (.900 into a shield) - Czechia and Slovakia (woman's head and "2" or "3", "3" inside a triangle, hare's head and "3") - Egypt (Arabic number) - Estonia (900 into a rectangle) - Germany (900) - Hungary (Diana head and "2", 900 and man's head) - Iran (armed lion and 900) - Italy (woman's head facing left with "2") - Japan (900 into a lozenge) - MEXICO (.900, 900/1000) - USA (COIN)
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915 (millesimal fineness)
Spain (star)
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916 (millesimal fineness)
Finland (916H into a rectangle) - Lithuania (916 and symbol into a shaped contour) - Poland (woman's head facing right and "1") - Portugal (eagle facing left with "I" or 916, eagle's head facing left with "I", boar or boar's head facing left with "I") - Romania (wheat and sickle, 916 and tower) - Russia (916 and man's head facing left) - Spain (916/oo, royal coat of arms)
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917 (millesimal fineness)
Malta (after 1964)
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925 (millesimal fineness)
Argentina (925) - Austria (hoopoe head facing right with "1", 925Ag) - Belgium (AG925, four petals figural) - Canada (925, STERLING) - Czechia and Slovakia (woman's head and "2", 2 inside a triangle, chamois' head and 2) - Denmark (925S, STERLING) - Estonia (925 into a rectangle) - Finland (925, 925H into a rectangle) - Germany (925) - Hungary (Diana head and "1", 925 and man's head) - Italy (925 into an oval) - Japan (925 into a lozenge) - Lithuania (925 and symbol into a shaped contour) - Malta (925 into a rectangle) - Mexico (L925, 925, 0.925, STERLING) - The Netherlands (lion rampant facing right and "I") - Norway (925S with or without outline) - Peru (925, ESTERLINA 925, STERLING 925) - Portugal (925 and eagle's head facing left) - Romania (925 and tower) - Spain (925V1 or other letters as M1, A1, AR1 etc. identifying the assay office into a rectangle, 925B2 into a rectangle) - Sweden (925, STERLING) - Switzerland (duck facing left, 0.925, 925) - United Kingdom (lion passant or guardant facing left) - USA (STERLING)
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934 (millesimal fineness)
The Netherlands (lion rampant facing right with "1")
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935 (millesimal fineness)
Austria (hoopoe head facing right with "1") - Estonia (935 into a rectangle) - Germany (935) - Estonia (935 into a rectangle) - Hungary (Diana head and "1")
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940 (millesimal fineness)
Poland (woman's head facing left and "1")
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950 (millesimal fineness)
Austria (Diana head with "1") - Belgium (950M, Lyre mark) - Bulgaria (crown and "A1") - Czechia and Slovakia (woman's head and "1", crown) - France (Minerva head or various figural marks with "1") - Italy (woman's head facing left with "1") - Japan (950 into a lozenge, 0.950 into a rectangle) - Romania (two fishes and "I")
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958 (millesimal fineness)
United Kingdom (lion's head erased and Britannia )
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959 (millesimal fineness)
Czechia and Slovakia (woman's head and "1", 1 inside a triangle, chamois' head and 1) - Malta (after 1964)
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980 (millesimal fineness)
Mexico (980)
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999 (millesimal fineness)
fineness admitted in many countries but rarely used in silverware (999)
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ARG.1000 (SILVERPLATE)
Italy (ARG. 1000 or ARGENTO 1000: SILVERPLATE)
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COIN
USA during periods of shortage coins were used as metal stock, especially in the colonial era. Because of the multiplicity of coinage in use, it has varied from 835/1000 to 925/1000. It was never an enforceable standard like sterling, but was a means for silversmiths, lacking a national standard of assay, to assure clients of the quality of their silver. By the 1820s, with flat-rolled silver stock readily available, it became an arbitrary benchmark set at 900/1000 and remained so until the British sterling standard was adopted by Gorham, Tiffany, and others in the 1850s
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