The four marks you should expect to see
A genuine UK silver hallmark is usually a row of small punches. From left to right you typically see a sponsor’s mark (the maker’s initials), a standard mark (a lion passant for sterling silver, 925 parts per thousand), a town mark (which assay office tested the piece) and a date letter (which year it was tested). On older or imported pieces some marks may be missing, and on tiny items the marks are sometimes condensed; the principle is the same.
| Mark | What it tells you | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor’s mark | Who submitted the item for assay (the maker or retailer) | Two or three initials inside a shield, e.g. HW & Co |
| Standard mark | The metal and its purity | Lion passant = sterling, 925 parts per thousand |
| Town mark | The UK assay office that tested it | Anchor = Birmingham, Leopard’s head = London |
| Date letter | The year the piece was assayed | A single letter in a shaped shield, changing each year |
The standard marks for UK silver
The two standards you meet in practice are sterling silver (925 parts per thousand) and Britannia silver (958 parts per thousand). Sterling is by far the most common since the 1700s and shows the lion passant. Britannia silver shows a seated figure of Britannia and is found mainly on pre-1720 pieces and some modern fine-silver work. Foreign imports tested by a UK office show a numeric .925 or .958 fineness rather than a lion.
The town marks
| Town | Mark |
|---|---|
| London | Leopard’s head |
| Birmingham | Anchor |
| Sheffield | Rose (formerly a crown) |
| Edinburgh | Castle |
What the marks do not tell you
A hallmark is a declaration of purity at the point of manufacture. It does not certify what is inside the piece now, solder, repair, or in rare cases tampering can change the actual metal. An XRF assay reads the item as it is today, which is why we use XRF rather than relying on the punch alone. A hallmark is also not a value: it only tells you the standard, not the weight, not the maker prestige, and not the antique value above scrap.
What a sterling hallmark adds to scrap value
For most everyday silver the hallmark adds confidence rather than a premium: the offer is built from the measured weight at the sterling rate. Where the hallmark genuinely lifts value is on collectable pieces, early Georgian flatware, identified Huguenot or other named makers, complete sets, and rarities by particular silversmiths or assay-office years. If your piece looks ornate, named or pre-1837, ask us to look at it as an antique before treating it as scrap.
Common questions
What does the lion mark mean on silver?
A standing lion in profile (the lion passant) is the UK standard mark for sterling silver, 925 parts per thousand.
How do I tell sterling from Britannia silver?
Sterling shows a lion passant. Britannia silver shows a seated figure of Britannia and is 958 parts per thousand. Imports tested by a UK office show numeric .925 or .958.
Do all genuine UK silver items have hallmarks?
Items over the legal weight threshold submitted for assay must have them. Older and very small items can lack a full hallmark, in which case an XRF assay confirms the standard.
Is a hallmark proof of silver?
It is strong evidence at the point of manufacture, but the assay is the proof. We XRF-assay every parcel to confirm what is actually in the piece today.