Sterling silver hallmarks are the small stamps that say what a piece is made of. On American silver the most important one is a word or a number: ‘Sterling’, ‘Ster.’ or ‘925’. Learning to find and read it is the single most useful thing you can do before you sell silver, because it is the first thing any buyer looks for.
Where Can I Sell Silver is an independent referral service, not a buyer, pawnshop or dealer. When you call or send the form, your details go to an independent buyer in New York who makes any offer.
What is 925 silver?
925 silver is sterling silver: at least 925 parts of silver in every 1,000 parts of metal, which is 92.5% silver. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission’s Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries (16 CFR Part 23) allow the words ‘Solid silver’, ‘Sterling Silver’, ‘Sterling’ and ‘Ster.’ only on an item that meets that standard. So a piece marked 925 and a piece marked Sterling are making the same claim.
The marks, one by one
| Mark | What it means under US rules |
|---|---|
| 925 | At least 925/1,000 silver: sterling |
| Sterling or Sterling Silver | At least 925/1,000 silver |
| Ster. | The short form of sterling, same standard |
| Solid silver | At least 925/1,000 silver |
| Coin or Coin silver | At least 900/1,000 silver |
| 900 | 900/1,000 silver, the coin silver standard |
| .999 or 999 | 999/1,000 silver: fine silver, as on bullion |
| A number and the word silver, such as 750 silver | Silver of that fineness in parts per thousand |
| Silver plated, or a plating description | A surface layer of silver over another metal, not solid silver |
Two rules sit behind this table. First, the FTC guides say the plain word ‘silver’ should be preceded by a fineness in parts per thousand; their own example is ‘750 silver’. Second, the National Stamping Act (cited in the same section of the guides) says silver plated articles shall not be stamped ‘sterling’ or ‘coin’. If you see Sterling or Coin, the maker was claiming solid silver.
How exact is a sterling mark?
The law allows for the small variations of manufacture. Under the National Stamping Act, a sterling article with no solder may be up to four parts per thousand under its mark, and one made with solder up to ten parts per thousand under. Anything further below its mark is not what it claims to be. Gold has a similar allowance: three parts per thousand without solder, seven with.
Where to find the hallmarks
- Flatware: the back of the handle.
- Knives: the handle, sometimes on its edge or near the blade.
- Hollowware (teapots, bowls, trays, pitchers): underneath, on the base or foot rim.
- Candlesticks: the base or its edge.
- Rings: inside the band.
- Chains and bracelets: on or beside the clasp, or on a small tag.
- Earrings: on the post, the back or the hook.
- Bars and rounds: on the face, with the weight.
Makers’ marks and pattern names
Beside the sterling mark you will often find a maker’s name or symbol, and on flatware sometimes a pattern name or a number. Marks you may see on American sterling include Gorham, Towle, Wallace, Reed & Barton and Tiffany & Co.; they are the makers’ own names, and this site has no connection with any of them. A maker’s mark tells you who made the piece, which matters to collectors and to anyone pricing a complete set. It does not tell you the metal: only the fineness mark does that. A maker’s name with no sterling mark beside it means the piece needs a closer look.
Silver made outside the United States
The rules on this page are American. Silver made in other countries may carry different marks, including national systems of symbols and numbers that do not follow US wording. A piece from abroad may carry a fineness number other than 925, such as 800; read a number like that as parts of silver per 1,000, the way US rules write fineness. If your silver came from abroad, write down or photograph every mark and ask a buyer to read them; do not assume a piece without the word Sterling is plate, or that a symbol you do not recognize means sterling.
When there is no mark at all
Unmarked silver is not necessarily plate. A mark can wear away, since each polish takes away a little silver, and small parts such as jump rings may carry no stamp of their own. Unmarked pieces need testing before a buyer will treat them as silver, so keep them in their own group when you sell. The how to tell if silver is real article covers checks you can do at home, and their limits.
925 silver jewelry and gold-colored pieces
A 925 mark on jewelry means the silver is sterling; it says nothing about any coating. Sterling can be coated with gold: the FTC guides (16 CFR 23.4) allow the word ‘vermeil’ for sterling silver coated or plated on all significant surfaces with gold of at least 10 karat, at least 2.5 microns thick. A coating does not change the silver underneath. A gold-colored piece marked 925 is sterling silver, priced as silver, not as gold. Gold is marked by karat, for example 14K, which means 58.3% gold.
Reading a mark that is hard to see
Marks are small and often worn. A few habits help. Use daylight or a bright lamp held low and to one side, so the stamp casts a shadow. Use a magnifier, or your phone camera zoomed in, and take a photo you can enlarge. Tilt the piece slowly; a worn stamp often shows at one angle and vanishes at another. On rings, look all the way round the inside of the band. On chains, check both ends of the clasp and any tag nearby. Write down exactly what you see, letters and symbols both, even if it makes no sense to you: a buyer can read it from your notes.
Do not scratch, file or polish a mark to make it clearer. That removes metal and can make a mark harder to read, not easier.
Using the marks when you sell
- Check every piece and sort by mark: 925 or Sterling, 900 or Coin, .999, unmarked, and plated.
- Weigh each group separately.
- Work out each group’s pure silver: weight in troy ounces x 0.925, 0.900 or 0.999.
- When you ask for an offer, give the marks group by group. A buyer will check them, but your list makes the offer easier to compare.
For how to turn that into a value, see silver melt value. For selling tableware, see sell sterling silver.
Found a mark you cannot read? Call, or put it in the form, and we connect you with an independent New York buyer who can tell you what it means.
Questions people ask
Does 925 mean real silver?
Yes. Under the FTC guides, 925 means at least 92.5% silver: sterling. It is the same claim as the word Sterling.
Is sterling silver the same as 925 silver?
Yes. Sterling and 925 both mean at least 925 parts of silver per 1,000.
What does Coin mean on old silver?
Coin or coin silver means at least 900 parts per 1,000 silver, 90%, under the FTC guides.
Can a fake piece be stamped 925?
A stamp can be faked, which is why buyers check marks and may test metal. Under federal law, plated articles must not be stamped sterling or coin, and a sterling piece may test only slightly under its mark.
Is 925 silver worth anything?
Yes. Its value as metal is its weight in troy ounces x 0.925 x the spot price. See silver melt value.
Why does my silver have several small stamps in a row?
Silver often carries more than one mark: a fineness mark such as Sterling or 925, plus a maker’s mark, and sometimes a pattern name or other symbols. The fineness mark is the one that says what the metal is.
Describe your silver