Germany
"12 + 12" plating lot
1. Access to electrical power was very limited at the time.
2. Electrical current was quite weak compared to the present day.After some experimenting, engineers achieved the best results if they used a small bath, put one dozen table spoons and one dozen table forks in it, used 90 Grams of fine silver and then immersed the pieces until the silver anodes were dissolved and the silver had firmly settled on the cutlery. This took many hours and in the beginning made the finished pieces quite expensive. The engineers discovered that a little more than half of the 90 Grams used was spread on the 12 spoons (as they have a bigger surface than the forks), a little less than half was spread on the 12 forks. Using a larger bath would require a much longer plating process, which would have made the process even more expensive. To use more than the 12 + 12 pieces in a bath would result in:
1. The pieces closest to the silver anodes would get a much thicker plating.
2. The pieces farthest from the anodes would get a very thin plating.
So the thickness of the silver layer would differ considerably.
typical German 90 silverplate mark Using 12 + 12 pieces as described above and 90 Grams of fine silver became a standard in Germany. To document this, the "90" was punched on the pieces. If companies wanted to produce cheaper cutlery, they used less silver, 60 Grams, 40 Grams or even 20 Grams, which made the plating very thin. Some used more, 100 or 150 Grams. Pieces were punched accordingly "60", "40", "20", "100" etc.
The plating process was adapted to other pieces of flatware and cutlery; knife-handles, smaller spoons, serving pieces etc., so that the silver layer on them was as thick as on the table spoons and table forks. As the same standard process was used, they all were stamped with the "90". New techniques made it possible to plate more pieces in bigger baths in shorter time, using much larger silver anodes. However, the thickness of the plating remained the same , so the marks remained the same.
WMF German 90 silverplate mark
When plated cutlery became more affordable and more and more customers bought it, they began to ask how much pure silver their flatware actually "contained". Manufacturers realized that they could use the answer as a method to promote sales and started punching a further mark that roughly provided the actual gram weight of the silver that coated the pieces. Unfortunately they used two different systems:
1.
Pieces that usually come in a dozen (table- forks /-spoons / -knives, coffeespoons etc.) are punched with the weight of silver used for plating a dozen pieces. So tableforks and tablespoons were marked with a "45", smaller pieces were punched a lower figure (e.g. "35"), as less silver was needed to give them the same thickness of plating.
2.
Pieces that usually came singly or in pairs (serving pieces) were punched with the weight of silver on a single piece.Examples:
If you have a table spoon marked "90" and "45" it means: the standard process as described above was used, on one spoon roughly 1/12 of 45 Grams
Wellner German 90 silverplate mark
additional "9" indicates 9 grams of silver
on the piece
(ca. 3,75 Grams) of fine silver were spread.If you have a sugar tong marked "90" and "2" it means: again the standard process was used, 2 Grams of fine silver were used to coat the piece.If you have a pair of salad servers, each piece marked "90" and "4" it means: again the standard process was used, on each piece 4 Grams of fine silver were used.
This German system of silverplate marking has been adopted by other European countries, and is sometimes seen on Dutch, Danish and Austrian silverplate.
French silverplate pieces bear two marks:
1. The "84 Gr." (or "12 G." etc.) mark, most often in a square.
2. The maker's mark or retailer's mark, these never came in a lozenge (this form is found only on solid silver), but again most often in a square or rectangle.
FAQs
Silver products sometimes may be marked 925, which means that 925 parts per thousand are pure silver. Some jewelry described as "silver plate" has a layer of silver applied to a base metal. "Coin silver" is used for compounds that contain 90% pure silver.
How do you identify silver's makers marks? ›
If you think a piece might be silver, the first mark to look for is a standard mark – the leopard's head, lion passant, lion's head erased, seated figure of Britannia or, for imported items, . 925 or . 9584 in an oval shield. Having found a standard mark, next find where the item was assayed.
How do you read silver plated hallmarks? ›
Silver or Plate
If you see the letters EPNS or A1 on your item then it is silver plated. Your item will need to be hallmarked and carry very specific marks in order to be legally called silver. As silver plate was made for the mass market many items of silver plate do not have any value.
What is the guide to silver marks of the world? ›
The book illustrates and explains nearly 2,000 marks arranged under letters in alphabetical order, numerals, human figures, mammals, birds, plants, heavenly bodies etc, so that any of the marks can be easily found. The introduction describes the various systems in force in each country since the first known records.
What are the maker marks on silver plate? ›
The maker or company name is usually stamped on the back of the piece, along with an indication that it's plated. In America, these marks are A1, AA, EP, or the full phrases "sterling inlaid", or "silver soldered." According to industry standards, AA has one-third as much silver used in plating as does A1 pieces.
What are the 5 standard silver marks? ›
There are 5 standard marks found on British Silver:
- The walking lion for all sterling silver made in England.
- The standing lion for all sterling silver made in Glasgow.
- The thistle for for all sterling silver made in Edinburgh.
- The crowned harp for all sterling silver made in Dublin.
The maker's mark will always be unique. It should have the initials within a shield. The maker's mark will never be “recycled” even if it falls out of use. The maker's mark bears the initials of the maker in a shield approved and registered at the assay office.
Is a silverplate worth anything? ›
Is silver plate worth anything? Silver plate cannot be melted down and re-sold as sterling silver can, which makes it less valuable than sterling silver. However, there is value in silver plated items which comes less from the value of the silver content than the age, maker and quality of the item.
What are the symbols for pure silver? ›
The silver standard mark
Standard marks indicate that the silver content is 925 parts of pure silver per 1000 and show where the silver item was made. For English silver the standard mark is a lion passant, while Scottish silver bears the mark of a thistle (Glasgow) and lion rampant (Glasgow and Edinburgh from 1975).
How to identify a silver plate? ›
The easiest way to tell the difference between sterling silver and silver plated objects is to check for a hallmark. There should be a mark like a stamp or a hallmark on your tea set, flatware, or other objects that you believe are made from silver.
1. Sterling . 925 Silver. Sterling is the jewelry quality standard in the United States and most world markets.
How can you tell if something is silver-plated or sterling silver? ›
Look for a Stamp
If your antique silver technique is truly sterling silver and not simply plated, it will be stamped with a telltale hallmark. Typically found on the bottom of the piece, a silver stamp may include: The words “Sterling Silver' A numeric value (800, 900, 925, etc.)
What do the letters mean on silver? ›
Most British and Irish silver carries a number of stamps indicating not just the standard or purity mark (typically the lion passant) but also the initials of the maker, a date letter and the place of assay. Since hallmarking began, the leopard's head has been used in various forms to denote the London Assay Office.
What does the letter D mean on silver? ›
The marks are clearly defined and allow us to glean some very useful information about this box: we can see the lion passant, meaning that the piece is made of sterling silver, the letter “D” indicating that it was assayed in 1827, the anchor which is the town mark for the city of Birmingham and finally the sponsor's ...
What do the numbers on silver mean? ›
International sellers of silver will stamp silver as 925, 900, or 800." These numbers indicate the level of purity of the silver. Sterling silver has a purity of 92.5 percent or higher.
Does real silver have numbers on it? ›
Sterling silver is an alloy made up of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper or zinc. Sterling silver pieces are stamped with 925 to mark their authenticity.
What do letters mean on silver? ›
Most British and Irish silver carries a number of stamps indicating not just the standard or purity mark (typically the lion passant) but also the initials of the maker, a date letter and the place of assay. Since hallmarking began, the leopard's head has been used in various forms to denote the London Assay Office.
