American silver marks
3,570 marks in our databaseAmerican silver was never marked by a government assay office. Makers struck their own name or trade mark, and from the middle of the 1800s the word Sterling for 925 silver; earlier pieces may read Coin or Pure Coin for 900.
The United States has never had a national hallmarking system. American silver is identified by words and makers' marks instead: COIN or PURE COIN on earlier pieces, and STERLING from the mid nineteenth century, usually with the maker's trade mark such as the Gorham lion, anchor and G.
How to read American marks
- No assay office
- American silver was never marked by a government office.
- Standards
- From the middle of the 1800s the word Sterling marks 925 silver. Earlier pieces may read Coin or Pure Coin for 900.
- Maker's marks
- Makers and retailers struck their name or trade mark, and these are the key to the date.
- Pseudo hallmarks
- Some makers used small marks that imitate English hallmarks. They are not assay marks.
A note from our specialists
The word STERLING on its own, with no town mark and no date letter, usually points to an American or other non-British maker. Some American makers also struck small symbols that look like British hallmarks. Read them as a maker's trade mark, not as an assay office or a year, and look for the maker's name or pattern number nearby.
Faustas Svencionis, Mozeris Fine Antiques
We hold 3,570 American marks for photo matching
Our identifier compares your photo with every American mark we hold, then reads the town, the standard, the date and the maker. Free, with the result on screen and by email.
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Questions
Is American silver hallmarked?
Not by a government office. The maker's mark and the word Sterling or Coin tell you the standard.
What does Coin mean on American silver?
It usually means 900 silver, the standard of American coins, used before Sterling became the norm.
Why does American silver have no hallmarks?
The United States has no national assay office. American silver is marked by the maker, usually with the word STERLING and a trade mark.
What does COIN mean on American silver?
COIN or PURE COIN was used on American silver before sterling became the standard, for silver of about the same standard as US coins.
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