Sterling Markings

gdavis70

Can anyone decipher this? Is there a guide for these markings.

BlackBeard

I found a silver marking site, but forgot tobook mark it. If I recall correctly the E & C is most likely the maker and the lion designates .925 purity. The S is probably a date code giving a date range of production. There is a list of the date codes and it depends on the formation of the letter. They go back to the 1700's I believe. (not this particular mark, but others denoted by shape)

OffMetal

The first mark, E & Co. indicates that the company that made this was Elkington & Co. (source: LINK). The anchor mark indicates that the piece was assayed in Birmingham. The lion passant indicates that the purity is .925 (sterling silver). The S is the date mark which dates this piece 1967 (which is about correct for the maker, but please double check me on this - source).

Some useful sources I use all the time:

http://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/index.htm
http://www.silvercollection.it/
http://www.925-1000.com/

Hope that helps!
Ben

gdavis70

Very nice, Thanks for the information both of you... I will certainly bookmark those sites.

gdavis70

I'm back...

If a pot like this weighs say... 5lbs 2 oz... how would a refiner or dealer estimate the payout for this item?

I figured maybe an ounce for the handle... the rest is pure right? so something like 5.1 ounces * .925 for the silver weight.

OffMetal

I'm guessing you used a shipping or kitchen scale to get 5 lbs 2 oz.?

If that's the case, you would have 5.125 lbs. avoirdupois, which translates out to 2321 grams. Assuming a purity of .925, you would have 2147 grams, or 69 troy ounces in actual silver content.

I have never sent any silver for refining, but it seems that scrap sterling will assay at around .900, and some is lost in the process. Refiners, like Midwest will charge 10%. If my math is correct, in the end you'll get around 80% of the weight multiplied by spot price. (80% accounts for fees, .925 purity, and loss). At $46.68/oz, I would estimate that you will get $2,784 from a refiner who pays 90%.

Here's my work:

74.63 oz Raw Weight
X 0.96 to account for loss during refining
= 71.64 oz
X 0.925 sterling content
= 66.27 oz
X 0.90 refiner's fees
= 59.64 oz payable
X$46.68 per oz
= $2,784.20

This is only my estimate and numbers will vary, especially depending on the silver makers. If other members check my work and see it's wrong, please do correct me!

Ben

Edit to add SOURCE for my numbers.

Edit again, I made a minor error in my calculation above and accidentally accounted for .925 twice. Fixed, I think.

gdavis70

Yes, it was a kitchen scale. The item is a tea pot that I am considering buying. I am worried that there is a slug of copper at the bottom for heat distribution or something. I hate to pay 2500 for a tea pot and it comes back from the refiners with $800 in silver.

Thanks for the run down on the numbers... I will digest this

JamesMurray

An English teapot never sits on direct heat , water is boiled in a kettle and transfered into the teapot.

OffMetal

Is the handle of the teapot not sterling? I would also think the handle weighs more than an ounce.

Also, I just want to point out that my numbers did not account for the handle, so you'll have to knock some off of my number.

Could you post a picture of the whole item?

Ben

gdavis70

argh... It weighs 4.3 pounds total.