Mystery Silver Marks: What to Do When You Can't Identify a Hallmark

October 26, 2026

Crowned A and ring silver hallmarks on the bottom of an unidentified silver creamer

Some silver marks just don't want to be found. You flip the piece over, see a tiny stamp, search every hallmark site you know, and come up empty. We know the feeling, because it happened to us.

Our mystery: a creamer and sugar bowl

This matching creamer and two-handled sugar bowl came from our own collection, and they're staying with us. On the bottom of each are two small stamped marks: a crown over a letter that looks like an A, and beside it a ring made of tiny stamped segments. There's no "Sterling," no "925," no "EP" or "EPNS," and no maker's name. Hours of research later, we still haven't found an exact match.

Crowned A and ring silver hallmarks on the bottom of an unidentified silver creamer

A crown over a letter is a classic style of European town or assay mark, so we suspect this piece came from continental Europe. But a mark you can't identify still tells you a lot. Here's how we worked through it, and how you can do the same with your own mystery piece.

Clue 1: What's missing

American and British silver plate almost always announces itself. Look for EP, EPNS, EPBM, A1, Quadruple Plate, Silver Plate or a well-known plate maker like Rogers, Reed & Barton or Oneida. When none of those are there, it's worth slowing down before you call a piece "just plate."

Clue 2: Purity numbers below 925

Sterling is 925 parts silver per 1,000. Much European and Latin American silver is real silver at a lower purity: 800, 830, 835 and 900 are common, and some countries used symbols instead of numbers. A piece like this is solid silver, just not sterling, and it's often overlooked because it doesn't say "sterling."

Clue 3: An assay scrape

On a lot of older Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American silver, the official assayer scraped out a tiny zigzag of metal to test it. If you see a little squiggly gouge near the marks, it may be one of these, and it's a sign the piece was tested as silver at the time it was made.

Clue 4: Someone's file test

Sometimes a buyer or dealer has already checked a piece by filing a tiny notch in an out-of-the-way spot. Look at the color inside the notch. Copper or yellow brass means plate. Silver-colored metal all the way through is a good sign. Our creamer has one of these notches, and it shows silver-colored metal. Dark color down in the stamped marks is usually just tarnish settled into the dents, which is normal on silver.

Why some real silver "fails" an acid test

Acid test kits come with different solutions for different purities. If someone tests 800 or 900 silver with only the sterling (925) solution, it can look like it failed, even though it's real silver. That may be why lower-purity silver sometimes turns up cheap at estate and yard sales.

How to get a real answer

XRF test: Many gold buyers and jewelers have an XRF gun that reads the exact metal content in seconds without harming the piece. It's often free or very cheap.
The right acid: If acid testing, ask for the 800 and 900 solutions as well as 925.
Weight: Solid silver feels dense and heavy for its size. Weigh it in grams so you can work out its silver value once you know the purity.
Magnet: Silver isn't magnetic. If a magnet grabs it, it isn't solid silver.

Where to keep searching

Hallmark reference sites and silver collectors' forums are your best friends. Search by country if you can guess it, and try describing the symbol in plain words, like "crowned A." Upload a clear, close-up photo taken in good light, because worn marks are hard to read.

Can you help us solve it?

We're still hunting for this one. If you recognize the crowned A and stamped ring, or you've seen them on your own silver, we'd love to hear from you. And if you have a mystery mark of your own, tell us about it too.