ANTIQUE SILVER
Silver has been used since about 4500 BC in ancient Babylon for coinage. By 2000 BC, engraving, embossing and casting had all been used. Due to its rarity, during those years silver was often valued more highly than gold.
By the 12th or 13th centuries, most European silversmiths formed themselves into guilds. These guilds would have to create silver items to a certain standard and these items would be marked. London was the first assay office in the UK to use a standard mark. In the year 1300, the Sterling Silver standard of 925 parts of silver to 1000 parts of other metals was decreed as the legal standard and each item made had to be assayed and marked with the leopards head as the standard.
The leopard's head is still used by the London Assay Office but since around 1543 has been used as a mark of origin rather than the standard mark. The lion passant standard mark came into use at this time and was used with other Assay Offices as well as the London Assay Office.
It was not just the UK which marked their silver. In Italy, silver was marked as early as around 380 AD in Rome. Germany, France, Belgium and Spain were also marking their silver from around the 13th century. Scotland, Ireland and Sweden were marking their silver from around the 15th century, Holland from the early 16th century and Russia from the 17th century.
From 1363, in the UK, it became a legal requirement that all silver was marked with the makers mark as well as the standard mark and from 1478
Antique silver is extremely collectible and is an excellent long term investment. Silver prices can go up or down and there are many offers for scrap silver. If you are tempted to sell your silver for scrap, it is best to make sure that the item is not worth more as an antique item. Silver items that are modern, mass produced items are ideal for scrap. However, antique silver items, even some badly damaged ones, can be valuable for their rarity or quality. Once an item is melted down it is gone for good, taking with it the history and provenance of the item.