A leopard`s head, a prancing lion, letters that stand for years, marks representing a city or town–all are clues. But this is no game. These are clues to identifying antique silver.

Of particular note is legislation enacted in France in 1797 that requires all maker's marks be framed by a shield or diamond-type border. Gold and silver hallmarks are somewhat more universal.

Therefore, while hallmarks provide a useful initial ... you make confident and informed decisions. In summary, identifying real silver involves a combination of visual inspections, physical ...

Most silver is marked with identifying “hallmarks” — a series of little pictures, letters or numbers that indicate the silver content and when or where an object was crafted. This nifty ...

Of particular note is legislation enacted in France in 1797 that requires all maker's marks be framed by a shield or diamond-type border. Gold and silver hallmarks are somewhat more universal.