BROWSE MARKS BY SYMBOL
Sometimes all you know about a mark is what it looks like. Pick the symbol closest to what you see — each page explains what that symbol means across countries and eras, and lists every mark in our library that features it.
Lion
A lion stamped on silver is most often the English lion passant — a lion walking left with one forepaw raised — which has marked sterling silver (92.5% purity) at English assay offices since 1544. A lion standing upright on its hind legs is the lion rampant, the Scottish sterling mark applied in Edinburgh and, historically, Glasgow.
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Anchor
An anchor struck on British silver or gold is the town mark of the Birmingham Assay Office, in use since the office opened in 1773. It appears alongside a fineness mark (such as 925), a date letter, and a maker's mark. The anchor's orientation and its shield outline changed over time, which helps date a piece.
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Crown
A crown is one of the most reused symbols in metal marking. On British gold, a crown has been part of the fineness marking for gold items since 1798. On older Sheffield silver, a crown was the town mark until 1975. German silver made after 1888 carries a crown next to a crescent moon along with the fineness number.
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Leopard's Head
The leopard's head is the town mark of the London Assay Office and the oldest British hallmark, in continuous use since 1300. Until 1821 the leopard wore a crown; the uncrowned head marks pieces after that date, which makes the crown a quick dating clue.
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Thistle
A thistle on silver indicates Scottish assay. The thistle served as Edinburgh's standard mark for sterling silver from 1759 until 1975, when it was replaced by the lion rampant for silver; the thistle remains associated with Edinburgh gold marking.
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Eagle
The best-known eagle mark is the French eagle's head (tête d'aigle), struck on French 18K gold since 1838. It is a guarantee mark applied by the French assay system, so even small French gold items carry the tiny eagle head rather than a '750' number.
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Star
A five-pointed star with a number and letters inside it is the Italian silver and gold identification mark introduced in 1934: the star, a province code, and a maker number identify the registered Italian producer. It commonly appears next to 925 or 800 on Italian silver and next to 750 on Italian gold.
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Crescent Moon
A crescent moon beside a crown is the German national silver mark, required since 1888. It appears with a millesimal fineness number — most often 800, sometimes 835, 900, or 925 — and tells you the piece was made under the German marking law, regardless of which workshop produced it.
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