Most American Silver is marked Sterling or 925.  Sterling Silver is made from 925 parts pure silver per 1000 and is therefore 92.5% silver. Sterling silver pieces are usually stamped with one of these marks.    

 Some companies marked their pieces both Sterling and 925

Prior to the use of the above Sterling marks most American silver was stamped "Coin" or by the individual silver makers  personal makers mark.

Early American silversmiths relied on their own reputation as a gaurantee of the silver they produced and their livelihood depended on this status. If you have something that is marked in this way it very well might be silver and you should have it examined by a knowledgeable dealer.

English silver has historically been marked by the Lion Passant to indicate its purity.

This mark, combined with a city, date and makers mark is used to identify British sterling silver.

Most European Silver is not marked Sterling or 925 but rather a hallmark indicative of that particular country's silver standard. European silver usually contains slightly less silver than  Sterling/925  and is usually 800 to 850 parts per 1000. 

 Russian Silver is marked in a completely different fashion using a  different standard and is usually marked 84 or 88 depending on the silver content.

French silver hallmarks are arguably the most difficult and complex  in the world. Over the centuries the French used a series of symbols representing animals and animal heads, birds, insects and classical figures to represent origin and purity. They are extremely  difficult to decipher especially on old pieces where the marks are partially worn and hard to read. Not sure what the French were thinking when they came up with this system but the difficulty lies in part to not using a numbered system and therefore requires an expert to figure out what they mean.

  Silver Plate can be no less beautiful than solid silver but has little or no scrap value. However, certain pieces are not entirely worthless and must be appraised on an individual basis.  Silver plate can be marked in any number of ways including "EPNS" for Electroplated Nickel Silver. 

 Silver usually tarnishes black or dark gray while silver plate often tarnishes with a purplish -violet blue irridescent color. Most old silver plate will also show the base metal where the silver plating has worn off. 

If you have any questions determining if your silver is solid or plate please do not hesitate to contact us or send a photo.

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