The passport of precious metals and ceramics
A row of tiny punches stamped on the underside of a teapot or the back of a fork tells its entire legal history: *who made it, where it was tested for purity, the exact year of assay, and whether tax was paid to the crown.*
AntiqID reads the entire hallmark stack simultaneously — maker initials, metal standard, assay office, and date letter — matching letterforms and shield cartouches against 300 years of official assay office registers.
The Anatomy of a Full British Hallmark
British silver hallmarking is one of the oldest consumer protection systems in the world (dating back to 1300 under King Edward I). A complete historical hallmark contains four to five distinct punches:
1. **Sponsor / Maker's Mark**: Initials of the silversmith or workshop inside a unique shield outline.
2. **Standard Mark (Fineness)**: The **Lion Passant** (walking lion with raised paw) guarantees .925 Sterling Silver. A seated figure of **Britannia** denotes higher .958 purity. A Crown with numbers (18, 15, 12, 9) denotes gold purity.
3. **Assay Town Mark**: Identifies the testing office: **Leopard's Head** (London), **Anchor** (Birmingham), **Crown or Rose** (Sheffield), **Three Wheat Sheaves** (Chester), **Castle** (Edinburgh), or **Crowned Harp** (Dublin).
4. **Date Letter**: A single letter changed annually. Every assay office maintained its own unique alphabet font (Gothic, Roman, Script) and shield outline, pinpointing assay to a single 12-month window.
5. **The Monarch's Duty Mark (1784–1890)**: A profile portrait of King George III, George IV, William IV, or Queen Victoria proving excise tax payment. Instantly proves pre-1890 manufacture.
- Lion Passant = Guaranteed .925 solid sterling silver
- Town mark + date letter pins the piece to an exact year
- Duty mark (monarch's head) dates pieces strictly between 1784 and 1890
Continental European Silver Systems
AntiqID decodes non-British national marking systems across Europe:
• **France (Post-1838)**: The helmeted **Minerva Head** denotes .950 (first standard with numeral 1) or .800 (second standard with numeral 2) silver, paired with a lozenge-shaped silversmith punch.
• **Germany (Post-1888)**: The **Halbmond und Krone** (Crescent Moon and Imperial Crown) stamped alongside decimal purity numbers: '800', '835', or '925'.
• **The Netherlands**: The **Lion Rampant** (first standard .934 or second standard .833) accompanied by the Minerva head assay mark and date letter.
• **Scandinavia**: The **Three Crowns** (Sweden) and numerical '830S' or '925S' standards (Denmark/Norway/Sweden).
Solid Sterling vs. Electroplated Silver (EPNS)
One of the most common mistakes in antique buying is mistaking electroplated nickel silver for solid sterling:
• **Solid Sterling**: Displays official assay stamps (Lion Passant, 925, 800, or 'STERLING'). Holds significant bullion melt value in addition to antique appeal.
• **Silver Plate / EPNS**: Stamped with terms like **EPNS** (Electroplated Nickel Silver), **EPBM** (Electroplated Britannia Metal), **A1**, **Quadruple Plate**, or **Alpacca**. Contains only a paper-thin microscopic layer of silver over brass/nickel and carries virtually zero scrap precious metal value.
Porcelain Backstamps & Factory Seconds Cues
Ceramic marks identify the factory, modeler, and decorator. AntiqID indexes historical marks from major European and American potteries:
• **Meissen (Germany)**: Famous **Crossed Swords** in underglaze cobalt blue. AntiqID inspects for **cut slash marks** across the swords — two, three, or four incised slashes through the mark prove the factory sold the piece as damaged or decorated outside the royal manufactory.
• **Sevres (France)**: Interlaced royal L's enclosing date letters and painter monograms.
• **KPM Berlin**: Underglaze blue royal sceptre, often accompanied by the red orb decorator mark.
• **Wedgwood & Royal Doulton (UK)**: Impressed factory stamps, registration numbers (Rd No), and date codes.
Reading Worn or Partial Hallmarks
Centuries of polishing with abrasive pastes often wear hallmark punches down to faint outlines. AntiqID's computer vision enhances contrast under raking light, reconstructing worn letterforms and shield borders to identify candidates when partial marks remain.
Pillar guide
Silver hallmarks cluster
Use the country guide as your map, then dig into the lion passant and the hallmark identifier when you want the app workflow.
Pillar guide
Porcelain marks cluster
Start with the hub guide, then open factory deep-dives. Every page links back so you can move between Meissen, Dresden, and fakes.
hub
Porcelain & pottery marks hub
Meissen, Limoges, Sèvres, Wedgwood, Delft, KPM overview.
guide
Meissen porcelain marks
Crossed swords, period dots, base photography.
guide
Dresden porcelain marks
Studios vs Meissen factory — crowns and lace ware.
comparison
Fake Meissen marks
Geometric swords, wrong pommels, common tells.
guide
Antique Chinese vase ID
Body, glaze, reign marks, export ware, reproductions.
guide
Antique Japanese tea set ID
Nippon, Kutani, Imari, Satsuma cues and set completeness.
FAQ
Does the Lion Passant mean a piece was made in London?+
No. The Lion Passant represents the national English sterling silver standard (.925 purity) across all English assay offices. The town mark (e.g. Leopard's Head for London, Anchor for Birmingham) identifies the specific city.
Does AntiqID identify gold hallmarks as well?+
Yes. AntiqID decodes gold standard marks (24K, 22K, 18K/750, 15ct, 14K/585, 12ct, 9K/375) across British, European, and American registers.
Why does my silver have initials but no hallmark symbols?+
American coin silver (pre-1860) and some regional colonial silversmiths stamped only maker initials or names without official government assay office marks. AntiqID matches maker directories for un-hallmarked American silver.
Decode your hallmarks in seconds
Download AntiqID free on iOS, photograph your silver or porcelain stamp, and discover the exact maker, assay city, and year of manufacture.
Available on the App Store