Sterling Silver European Story Bracelets

(Warning: This article is long and reading it may improve your capacity to make cash on eBay)

In Article One I discussed the probabilities for savvy eBay marketers in the growing capitalist market for antiquate and collectible silver. The galore types of marks on these goods may be confusing, however, often times resulting in poorly described listings. One may be assured that at least 30% of the 12-15,000 weekly listings in the ‘Antiques-Sterling’ category will have inaccurate or misleading descriptions. The resulting buyer confusedness and uncertainty causes poor syndication prices, lost sales and vendor believability issues.

In this article eBayers will learn how to discern and understand the a lot of dissimilar marks and where to exploration them. With this background vendors may write professional descriptions in their eBay auctions, eBay stores and other selling venues. Properly identifying and listing silver items gives vendors believability and an edge over the hundreds of uninformed venders in this competitory market.

Think of it this way – if one were going to get into the car retail business he or she ought to recognise as much as possible regarding makes, models, engines, performance, etc. Right? The same thing applies to syndication silver goods. The marks tell the story behind the piece i.e., the maker, age, origin, history, quality, pattern, etc. Understanding marks will increase the sellers’ ROI because they become better buyers as well as resellers.

Identifying and Deciphering Silver Marks – The list under provides the fundamental principle for learning the a great deal of marks and and metal types. For further exploration and education there are a great deal of splendid reference books available for both beginners and experts. I’ve provided a short list of suggested books at the end of the article. Understand that a great deal of reference books are narrow in their scope i.e., specific to sure time periods, countries, etc. For this reason one ought to buy only one or two books which cover a wide array of marks from a heap of makers and countries. As experience is gained by listing and marketing silver one may build a good reference library. For online exploration there are various splendid internet sites that are contributed to and applied by collectors and dealers worldwide. I’ve linked one of the best internet sites at the bottom of the article. Professional valuations and appraisals are also available for those who want a quality listing but don’t want to exploration marks.

Those who are just starting into silver sales need to be very careful not to misinterpret marks. As stated above, one-third of the eBay venders incorrectly list and describe items because they’ve learned just sufficient data in regards to marks to be dangerous. Often these erroneous marketers think because there is a lion, crown, or anchor mark on their item it is English sterling when, in fact, it is silverplate bearing a pseudo mark. Just today I saw a new seller’s auction of a creamer and sugar bowl set that she listed as English sterling made in 1903. In reality it was American silverplate circa 1877-1880. She thought the pattern number, 1903, was the date it was made and that the lion in the trademark meant English sterling. This is just one example of galore that make vendors look bad and limit their chances for a profitable sale.

Use Knowledge As A Selling Point - After the right way researching the marks on the productions one may accurately title and describe the listings. Items may be guaranteed to be as claimed because the vender has sufficient selfassurance to do so. This gives believability to the vender and the merchandise which will draw smart investors and gatherers to the auction. The result will be strong bidding action and higher sale prices.

Use Accurately Identified Marks for Search Optimization – For example, a marketer identifies a piece as Danish and made by Georg Jensen circa 1909-1914. When applied to keyword the auction title and description this info will be a magnet for high-end gatherers . This translates into more prominent profits. Which of these two titles works best? “Antique Silver Bowl with Hallmarks” or,“Beautiful Georg Jensen Art Nouveau Sterling Centerpiece c.1909-1914″. The second one of course. This is plainly using strategic keywords in the title which gives life to the listing.

Okay, so what’s to learn? There’s plenty. The following is just the short list, but with this foundation a marketer may build their road to success as an expert silver merchandiser on eBay and other venues.

Things You Must Know:

• Hallmarks – Just in regards to each eBay marketer misunderstands this. Specific to precious metals, a hallmark is specified as a mark or series of marks struck into the metal that officially authenticates the metal purity (fineness or content) and which is globally recognized as a guarantee of purity. eBay marketers ofttimes confuse hallmarks with maker’s marks, logos, company trademarks, and simple number marks such as 925 or 835. While such number marks are applied to indicate purity or content they are never to be considered as hallmarks unless they are accompanied by the official standard mark of the country of origin. Why? Because any individual may fraudulently strike these numbers into the metal without official assay. Hallmarks are the official marks of guaranteed metal purity in cherished metal items. Trademarks and maker’s marks are plainly the mark of the manufacturer of the item. Think of it like the karat marks on gold jewelry. If a ring says Cartier 18K, the hallmark is the 18K, not the maker’s name, Cartier. It warrants the ring has a gold purity of 75% and it is recognized worldwide. Silver hallmarks work the same way, there’s just a lot more of them than there are for gold.
• Country Marks – Almost each country requires official nationalized marks or symbols to be employed as the hallmarks for their precious metals standards. Probably the best known of all is the Lion Passant used by England to guarantee sterling since the 14th century. There are far too a good deal of country marks to list here but you may exploration them in the online reference internet sites listed at the end of this article.
• City Marks – A mark or symbol used in galore countries to denote the city where the item was made. The leopard head representing London and the anchor representing Birmingham are two of the best known and most ordinarily seen on eBay. Again there’s too a great deal of to list but they may be researched in the reference guides listed below.
• Maker’s Marks – These are the registered names, initials, trademarks, logos, brands, symbols, or other marks used over assorted centuries by silversmiths and fabricating companies to distinguish their wares. There are in a literal sense hundreds of these worldwide. You will ordinarily find these struck or imprinted onto an inconspicuous place on the item along with the hallmark and other marks.
• Date Marks – Also called Date Codes, these are distinctive symbols, characters, letters, or numbers employed by some well known manufacturers as a means of dating the production year of their merchandise. These are cataloged and are very utile in accurately dating galore items. Unfortunately galore companies didn’t use date marks which makes precise dating of their work impossible.
• Pseudo Marks – These marks were produced by silversmiths to mimic the well known and long established British sterling hallmarks. These smiths specifically made silverplate items and silver items of lesser purity than sterling. The marks were on purpose designed to give a sensing of sterling quality in regards to their work in order to net income on the reputation and renown of British sterling. This does not inevitably mean they were all practicing fakery, altho galore surely were. In fact, a lot of pseudo marks are legitimately registered trademarks of reputable firms which manufacture in sterling, coin and silverplate. For example Gorham, a highly valued American sterling and silverplate maker, integrated the Birmingham anchor mark into their maker’s mark. Much of the 19th century Chinese export silver also bears pseudo marks on a good deal of very high quality 800 and 835 popular marked goods. Pseudo marks are oftentimes mistaken for British sterling hallmarks so buyers and venders similar will have to be capable to recognize them. This is one of the main reasons why exploration is so critical to successful selling.
• Pattern Numbers – These are proprietary numbers which are many times found along with the hallmarks and maker’s marks. These are applied by the manufacturer for patent registration, pattern identification and inventory control.
• Sterling - Sterling is specified by the U.K., the U.S. (refer below*) and most other nations as an alloy containing at least 92.5% pure silver. The other metal in the alloy is copper which strengthens the metal for fabrication into usable and ornamental wares. The word sterling comes from 14th century England. The sterling popular in Great Britain and elsewhere has been 92.5% (925) fineness since that time.
• 925, 0.925 or 925/1000 – This number is oftentimes found stamped into silver items. It represents sterling when accompanied by the official ordinary hallmark of the country of origin. The presence of this number on an item does not guarantee it to be sterling unless the official country hallmark is likewise present.
• “Solid Silver” - This is specified by the U.S. government (refer below*) as an alloy containing at least 92.5% pure silver which means it has to be sterling. It is illegal in the U.S. to represent any product by this name that is not sterling silver.
• “Coin Silver” - This alloy gets it is name from 18th and 19th century American silversmiths who melted down silver coins in order to give rise to items to sell. Typical items were silverware and other table service wares. The U.S. government defines this to be an alloy of 90% (900) purity (refer below*). Many items with less than 90% purity are oftentimes and illegally sold as “coin silver” in the U.S. on eBay and in other venues.
• Continental Sterling – This is a misleading term employed by galore who trade European made items which have purity standards less than 92.5%. Similar terms applied are Russian Sterling, German Sterling, French Sterling, etc. all of which are marked with official national standards that are less than 925. Continental Silver is the rectify way to describe European goods provided the official hallmark and assay mark are present to authenticate the actual purity.
• Silver Standards – In the U.S. the standards are pure (.9999%), sterling and coin (refer below*). In the U.K. the standards are britannia (95.8 % purity) and sterling. Britannia was used exclusively in Britain from 1697 to 1720 and has been optional since. Other countries have their own sets of official standards. Typically, but not without exception, these are 950, 935, 925, 900, 875, 850, 835, 812, 800, 750, and 675 purities as determined by official assay. These numbers represent the decimal fraction (percentage) of silver content in the fabricated item. For example, an item marked ’800′ is 80% pure. 950 and 935 may be legally referred to in the U.S. as sterling, irrespective of the country of origin, but the lesser standards cannot. 950 is once in a while referred to as Martelé Silver. Note: In the U.S. it is a federal crime to import, sell, label, advertise, or other than as supposed or expected represent any item as “sterling” or “solid silver” which does not have a purity of 92.5% or dandier (refer below*).
• Loth Numbers – This was a numerical system employed in Austria-Hungary and Germany-Prussia in the 18th and 19th centuries for authenticating official assays. It is based on a purity of 16/16. So that 15/16 is 15 Loth equaling .937 purity, 14/16 is 14 Loth equaling .875 purity, 13/16 is 13 Loth equaling .812 purity, and so on. Most of the ageold silver from these countries found listed on eBay is 13 Loth and, as cited above, it is oftentimes misrepresented as German Sterling. Austria-Hungary applied this system until 1866 and Germany-Prussia until 1886.
• Zolotnik Numbers – These numbers are found on Russian silver items going back assorted centuries. The root of this scheme started out in the 11th century with the Russian gold trade. A lot of ageold Russian items are auctioned on eBay and other venues so it is important to recognise numerous basics. The numbers are based on 96/96 being pure. What is sold largely on eBay is the more mutual 84 Zolotnik, or 84/96 which equals 875 (87.5%) purity. 88 Zolotnik is 88/96 or 916 purity and so on. A mutual problem with the 84 mark is mistaking sure types of French silverplate for Russian 84 Zolotnik. One way to tell the divergence is the French silverplate mark will have either a ‘Gr’ or ‘G’ after the 84 which represents grams of silver employed in the plating process. Also the Russian 84 Zolotnik will always be accompanied with one or more official marks and a maker’s mark in Russian Cyrillic letters. If an item is claimed to be Russian and it bears on the number 84, then consider it to be phony or plate.
• Silverplate - This is a very thin layering or coating of pure silver over a base metal. The most mutual base metals applied are copper, brass, nickel-silver, white metal, and Britannia metal (see below). The two types of silverplate are Sheffield plate and electroplate. Sheffield derives it is name from Sheffield, England where it originated. The technique applied was a ‘sandwiching’ of a layer of base metal amid a top and bottom layer of pure silver. The metals were wrought or rolled until the two metals were bonded. Thus the base metal was ‘plated’ and could then be employed for manufacturing. Electroplating was formulated in 1805 but didn’t come into popular use until 1840. This is an electrolytic routine whereby atoms of silver are deposited onto the surfaces of a sheet of base metal until the desired coating or thickness is achieved. Because electroplating is quick and not labor intense closely all plating was done this way by 1860 which doomed the Sheffield plate method. Today Sheffield plate is prized by collectors due to it is superior hand-wrought quality and ageold value. There are various dissimilar quality grades of electroplate/silverplate. These are based on the thickness of the plating resulting from the amount of silver used. The two mutual types of Victorian Era silverplate are triple plate and quadruple plate. You will see a lot of these types auctioned on eBay. The key thing to recognise regarding silverplate is that it has no substantial silver weight, thence there is no precious metal value affiliated with it. The market for silverplated items is based on rarity, uniqueness, antiquate qualities, craftsmanship, and design calibers only.
• Sterling Silverplate - There is no such thing! This description is ofttimes used by eBay marketers who don’t know anything when it comes to silver or who are keyword spamming to increase clicks on their listing. Because sterling is an alloy it is undesirable to use as a silver source for plating.
• E.P.N.S. – You will see these letters marking the bottoms of some older American and British silverplated items. This stands for Electro Plated Nickel-Silver. Many novice eBay marketers and those who don’t bother to do any exploration mistakenly list E.P.N.S. items as sterling. Common variations on this are E.P., E.P.C. (Electro Plate on Copper), E.P.W.M. (Electro Plate on White Metal), E.P.B. or E.P.B.M. (Electro Plate on Britannia Metal). Just recognise that any item marked with E.P. is silverplate and as such has no cherished metal value.
• Nickel-Silver - This is a mutual base metal alloy consisting of nickel, copper and zinc. There is no silver in it whatsoever. The name was coined because the metal is silvery in color and polishes to a shine. Other names employed for the same metal are: Alpacca or Alpacca Silver; Brazil Silver; German Silver; Peru Silver; New York Silver; New Silver; Nevada Silver; Norwegian Silver; Silverite; Venetian Silver; Potosi Silver; and Sonora Silver to name just a few. Many humans have been stung buying things like old German Silver ladies purses thinking they had something of real value. Nickel-silver is strong and lasting but it doesn’t have any metal value.
• White Metal - This is a silvery colored alloy commonly containing a mixture of antimony, tin, lead, zinc, and cadmium. In the U.K. the British fine arts trade uses the term ‘white metal’ to describe all alien items which do not have official British Assay Office marks struck on them.
• Britannia Metal – Another non-silver base metal similar to pewter which is usual because it is lasting and polishes to a silver-like luster. This is an alloy of 93% tin, 5% antimony and 2% copper. Not to be confused with 958 Britannia from Great Britain.

The hundreds of known marks and their significances are complex and often confusing. The data you’ve received in this article ought to increase your understanding of what a good deal of of the marks represent. You may now build upon these basi principles to become an informed buyer and reseller with a significant edge over your competition. Thanks for following this article series and please watch for Article Three: A Focus on British Sterling.

Suggested Reference Books:

1. Kovels’ American Silver Marks by Ralph and Terry Kovel; Random House Reference, 1st Ed., 1989. ISBN-13: 978-0517568828
2. Dealer’s Guides: English Silver Hall-Marks by Judith Banister; Foulsham Publishing, 2004. ISBN-13: 978-0572029999
3. Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers by Dorothy T. Rainwater, Martin Fuller and Colette Fuller; Schiffer Publishing, 2003. ISBN-13: 978-0764318870
4. American Silversmiths and Their Marks: The Definitive (1948) Edition by Stephen G. C. Ensko; Dover Publications, 1983. ISBN-13: 978-0486244280
5. All About Antique Silver with International Hallmarks by Diana Sanders Cinamon; AAA Publishing; 1ST edition, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0978516802
6. Discovering Hallmarks on English Silver by John Bly; Shire Publishing, 9th Ed., 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0747804505
7. English, Irish, & Scottish Silver: at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute by Beth Carver Wees; Hudson Hills Press, 1st Ed.,1997. ISBN-13: 978-1555951177

(These and other splendid reference books on this subject are available at Amazon.com and other fine booksellers.)

* U.S. Guide to Precious Metals & Jewels: Laws & Standards (See paragraph 23.6)

Sterling Silver European Story Bracelets Picture

Sterling Silver European Story Bracelets Image

Sterling Silver European Story Bracelets Picture

Sterling Silver European Story Bracelets Picture