Collecting Silver

Silver shines as a collectible

By Nancy Russell

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Silver collecting is a fun activity but only if you know why you’re collecting. Are you hoping for an investment that will grow in value? Are you wanting a beautiful collection that you can actually use? Are you adding to a collection of family pieces? All are good reasons to collect, but doing your homework is essential to making wise choices.

Here are a few basic ways you might identify the age and type of the silver you own and learn more about collecting silver.
You probably own a piece of antique sterling or silverplate. Our ancestors might have thrown out the handmade pie safe after it started to look aged and worn, but the silver serving ladle or figural napkin ring was passed down to other generations. Most of us bring these family pieces out on special occasions to use and enjoy. Silver pieces not only have value in their metal content; they also won’t deteriorate in storage or take up valuable space like furniture. With only a few minutes of careful cleaning, silver will gleam and shine. The price of silver does fluctuate, but it always has monetary value.

Look for a maker’s mark on the bottom or back of each piece. It’s unusual for silver or silver plate to be unmarked, so if you have trouble finding a mark, look on the edges or even on the front of the piece. You will see a group of little symbols pressed into the metal. These are called hallmarks.

If there are four or five separate marks, then it’s probably English. A lion means “solid silver,” or what we call sterling in the United States. If there’s no lion but it shows two or three hallmarks, the piece is probably European. Just a name or initials pressed into the silver means the piece is American or Canadian. Some American silver items have “pseudo hallmarks.” An eagle’s head, a star or hand were symbols used to convince buyers that American silver was comparable to English silver. A lion or king’s head was never used on American silver.

A general rule of thumb on dating antique American sterling silver is this: If initials appear, it’s pre-1800; if a name appears, it’s pre-1850. If the words “England” or “Made in U.S.A.” appear on your piece, then it was made after 1891. The word “sterling” will usually indicate an American piece made after 1860.

Silver plate first became popular in Victorian England and was heavy and quite ornate. The base metal was usually copper or a white pot metal. It was electrically coated with a thin layer of silver. Victorian silver plate is marked with combinations of shields, names and designs. You might see the letters EPNS, which stands for electroplated nickel silver.

This is an incomplete primer on silver and silver plate. If you’re seriously thinking about collecting, you should own a book of marks. “Antique Silver (Starting to Collect)” by Ian Pickford and “Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, A Shiffer Book for Collectors” are good choices. Start by visiting the resource section at the public library and then purchase the book that seems to fit your collection.

Nancy Russell is co-owner of Boone’s Lick Trail Antiques Antiques at 4038 E. Broadway in Columbia.