Advice for newcomers (and others) when buying silver

Not everything offered as 'solid silver' is so and not every seller realises that their item is worth less than they thought. Some sellers unfortunately aim to deceive and others honestly believe in the authenticity of their wares. Armed with very basic knowledge, you can avoid making potentially expensive mistakes. Every auction page enables you to "e-mail the seller". Once you know what to ask, a few questions can be very revealing!It is astonishing that so many people think that a "hallmark" is any old stamped symbol on an apparently silver object. A hallmark is the mark of the guildhall that certified the piece when it was new, and there are only a very few of them (have a look at www.silvercollection.it/englishsilverhallmarks.html for
a no-nonsense and easy to understand summary). With rare exceptions, nearly all British silver marks have one thing in common .... They will have a LION stamped on them. It usually faces left, with a front paw raised and its tail curled over its back. The posh term for it is the 'lion passant'. Sometimes it is standing up and is called a "lion gardant". NO lion = NO good!That one web page and the need for a little lion should take all the confusion and bewilderment out of hallmarks. Hallmarks really are simple; it's the welter of NON-hallmarks

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