How to Identify Modern Silver Hallmarks With Three Circles

Identify modern British hallmarks for silver by looking for marks beginning with two joined circles in which the sponsor or maker of an item is identified by initials. The second mark, a third circle or oval, denotes the millesimal fineness of the silver using a three-digit number, such as 999 for pure, 925 for sterling and 958 for Britannia silver. A third mark identifies the assay office that tested the piece. If a fourth mark is included, it will contain a letter indicating the year the item was marked.

Identify traditional British silver hallmarks by looking for a line of three circles. The first circle, reading left to right, is the standard mark. The standard mark denotes the purity of the silver the item contains. The second circle is the city mark. Cities featured in this mark include London, Birmingham, Chester, Exeter, Newcastle, Sheffield and York in England, Dublin in Ireland and Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland. The London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Dublin city marks are still in use. The third circle contains the date letter. Date letters use a combination of font, case and cartouche shape to denote the year when an item was assayed. Since 1998, the date letter has become an optional mark, according to The Birmingham Assay Office website.

Look for any special marks that provide more information about the piece. If there is a fourth circle or oval on an older piece, it may contain the duty mark for the item. Duty marks were used from 1785 to 1890, according to 925-1000.com. According to the Birmingham Assay website, commemorative marks may be added to a hallmark at the discretion of the sponsor. These marks may commemorate special events or anniversaries. Some appear inside ovals or circles. A three-digit number millesimal mark denoting the parts per thousand of silver contained in an item also appear inside an oval or circle. In most cases, the maker's mark follows after all other marks.

Note when changes to the system of import marks occurred. The 925-1000.com describes several of these changes. Import marks -- an uppercase letter "F" inside an oval -- were required on items of foreign manufacture starting in 1867. The maker's mark in these cases would be the replaced by the importing firm's mark. This system changed in 1904. From that point forward, the assay office placed its symbol instead of the import mark and replacing the town mark. Items still carried the date letter and sponsor's mark. Imported items may feature the hallmarks in a different order and may contain other marks from the country of origin.