Guide
How to read silver stamps.
A number on silver is its purity in thousandths: 925 means 92.5% silver. Words and symbols tell you the rest, including whether a piece is solid silver, plated, or not silver at all.
Updated October 28, 2026
Purity marks
| Stamp | Silver | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| 999, .999, FINE | 99.9% | Bullion bars, rounds, and coins |
| 958, Britannia figure | 95.8% | Britannia silver, finer than sterling; British Britannia bullion coins before 2013 |
| 925, STERLING, STER | 92.5% | Sterling flatware, hollowware, and jewelry worldwide |
| 900, COIN, PURE COIN | 90% | Older American silverware, and U.S. coins |
| 835, 830 | 83.5%, 83% | Older continental European silver |
| 800 | 80% | German and Italian silver; see 800 silver |
U.S. law requires a maker's trademark or name next to a quality mark like STERLING, so American sterling usually shows both. Sterling must be 925, and "coin" silver 900.
Symbols instead of numbers
- Lion passant: a walking lion, the traditional English sterling mark. Since 1999 British silver also carries the purity as a number in a shield.
- Crescent moon and crown: German silverware from 1888 on, beside its purity, 800 or higher.
- An eagle with a number, or codes like TC-123: Mexican silver; see Mexican silver jewelry.
- A star in a shape with a number and letters: an Italian maker's mark, with the maker's number and province code.
For British town marks and date letters, see how to identify sterling.
Marks that mean silver plate
EP, EPNS, EPBM, EPC, A1, "silver plate", "triple plate", "quadruple plate", and "Sheffield" mean a thin coat of silver over base metal. Plate has almost no silver value; see is silver plate worth anything?
Marks that mean no silver
"Nickel silver", "German silver", and "alpaca" are names for an alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc. They look like silver and contain none.
What the stamp doesn't prove
Stamps can be faked, and they wear off. A piece with a clear stamp can still be plated or counterfeit, and an unmarked piece can be solid silver. Coins and bullion are verified on arrival, and scrap is paid on the silver recovered after melting; see how silver is tested.
Silver guides: What 925 means · Sterling marks · Is my silver real? · Is my silverware silver? · Coin silver · Gold stamps · All guides
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