How to Tell Silver Plate from Sterling Silver

Silver plate and sterling silver can look almost identical on a table, but their value is very different. This guide is for estate sale shoppers, heirs sorting a household, and sellers who want to describe silver accurately. You will learn the marks, visual signs and simple checks that help you tell the two apart.

Know the difference

Sterling silver is a solid alloy that is 92.5 percent silver throughout. Silver plate is a thin layer of silver applied over a base metal such as copper, brass or nickel silver. Plated pieces can be beautiful and useful, but most of their value is decorative. Sterling also has value based on its silver content, which is why it is worth identifying correctly.

Read the marks first

Marks are your best starting point. Look on the underside of hollowware and the back of flatware handles with a magnifier.

Marks that usually indicate sterling or solid silver:

• "Sterling," "Sterling Silver" or "925."
• A British lion passant with a town mark and date letter.
• European numbers such as 800, 830 or 835, which indicate solid silver below sterling grade.

Marks that usually indicate silver plate:

• EP (electroplate), EPNS (electroplated nickel silver), EPC (electroplated copper) or EPBM (electroplated Britannia metal).
• "Silver plate," "Silverplate," "Triple plate," "Quadruple plate" or "A1." These describe the plating, not solid silver.
• "Nickel silver" or "German silver," which are base metal alloys that contain no silver at all.
• Many well-known brand names, such as Rogers, are widely associated with plated flatware. Look up the full mark, because some company names were used on both plate and sterling lines.

Be careful with the word "Sheffield." Sheffield, England, was an important center for both sterling and plated wares. Older "Sheffield plate" is fused plate, an early form of plating, and many later pieces simply marked "Sheffield" are plated as well.

Look for wear-through

Plating wears away on high points over years of use and polishing. Check the edges, feet, handles, rims and the backs of spoon bowls. If you see a yellowish, coppery or grayish metal showing through the silver, the piece is plated. Collectors call this "bleeding." Sterling stays the same color all the way through, even where it is heavily worn.

Weighted sterling

Candlesticks, compotes and some hollowware may be marked "Weighted" or "Reinforced." These are made from thin sterling with a filling of cement, pitch or other material in the base. They are genuine sterling, but the actual silver content is far less than the total weight suggests. Keep this in mind if you are estimating value by weight.

Simple checks and their limits

• Magnet test: silver is not magnetic. If a magnet sticks firmly, the piece has steel or iron in it and is not solid silver. However, copper and brass are not magnetic either, so a magnet that does not stick proves nothing on its own.
• Weight and feel: experience helps, but weight is not reliable, because plated pieces can be heavy and sterling can be thin.
• Tarnish: both sterling and plate tarnish, so tarnish does not tell you which you have.
• Acid testing: jewelers and buyers test silver with chemicals, but the test involves scratching or filing the piece. Leave this to a professional and ask them to test in an inconspicuous spot.

When marks are missing

Some older American silver, handmade pieces and items from certain countries may have few or no marks. Unmarked does not automatically mean plated. If an unmarked piece looks finely made and shows no wear-through, have a jeweler, silver dealer or auction house test it before you sell or discard it.

Selling plated and sterling items

Describe items by their marks rather than by guesses. Writing "marked EPNS" or "marked Sterling" in a listing gives buyers what they need. Plated serving pieces, tea sets and flatware still sell, especially attractive or complete sets, but price them by researching sold examples rather than by silver weight.

Quick checklist

• Check every piece for marks with a magnifier.
• Learn the common plate marks such as EPNS, EP and A1.
• Look for base metal showing at worn edges.
• Remember "Weighted" sterling contains filler.
• Use a magnet only to rule out steel or iron.
• Have uncertain pieces professionally tested.