Crescent Moon Symbol on Silver
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.
Crescent motifs also appear in Ottoman and other Middle Eastern marking traditions, where they carry different meanings. The crown-plus-crescent pairing with a fineness number is the reliable German signature.
Marks featuring a crescent moon
- What Does 800 Mean on Silver?Stamp meaning
An 800 stamp on silver means the piece contains 80% pure silver, alloyed with 20% other metals, usually copper. It is a continental European standard, especially common on German, Italian, and other European flatware, holloware, and older jewelry. It is genuine silver, but a lower grade than sterling's 92.5%.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a crescent moon and crown with 800 mean?
German silver of 80% purity, marked under the German hallmarking law of 1888. It is genuine silver, but a lower standard than 925 sterling.