Silver Cutlery: Silver-Plated vs. Solid
Also: Silver cutlery, EPNS, Heavy silver plate, 800 cutlery, Table silver
Solid silver cutlery is made entirely of a silver alloy, whereas silver-plated cutlery carries only a thin layer of silver on a base-metal core.
Anyone who inherits an old set of cutlery or discovers one at a flea market quickly faces the question: is it valuable table silver – or just silver-plated metal? The difference in material value is considerable and can be clarified with a few targeted checks.
Solid Silver Cutlery
Solid silver cutlery is made through and through of a silver alloy. In much of continental Europe the fineness 800 ‰ (800 silver) was the classic standard for table silver; in the Anglo-Saxon world sterling silver at 925 ‰ dominates. A single soup spoon of 800 silver typically weighs 40–60 g and thus contains 32–48 g of pure silver – a real material value that fluctuates with the current silver price.
The marking is found as a struck hallmark (stamp): figures such as 800, 835, 925 or the British lion symbol (Lion Passant) for sterling. Without a hallmark, caution is advised.
Silver-Plated Cutlery
Silver-plated cutlery carries only an electroplated silver layer on a substrate material – usually nickel silver (a copper-nickel-zinc alloy), less often brass or steel. The layer thickness is typically 10–30 micrometres.
Common abbreviations and stamps:
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| EPNS | Electroplated Nickel Silver |
| EPBM | Electroplated Britannia Metal |
| WMF (with crown) | Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, silver-plated |
| 90 | 90 g silver per 12 pieces (standard plating) |
| 100 | 100 g silver per 12 pieces |
| Heavy silver plate | min. 40 g per 24 pieces (~1.7 g/piece) |
The silver content of a single silver-plated spoon is around 0.1–0.5 g – the pure material value is therefore negligible.
Distinguishing Features Compared
- Check the hallmark: Solid silver carries an official fineness stamp (800, 835, 925). Silver-plated cutlery often shows manufacturer abbreviations (EPNS, WMF, Rogers) or simply no silver marking.
- Observe wear: At heavily used points (inside of the handle, spoon rim), the yellowish or white-grey base metal shows through on the plated piece.
- Magnet test: Nickel silver and brass are not magnetic – but neither is solid silver. A positive magnet test indicates a steel core (rare, then certainly only plated).
- Weight: Same-sized pieces of solid 800 silver are somewhat heavier than nickel-silver pieces, because silver (10.49 g/cm³) is denser than nickel silver (~8.7 g/cm³).
- Acid test / authenticity check: A drop of silver test acid on an inconspicuous spot shows the characteristic red colouration for 800, a stronger red for 925 silver. On a plated piece, the base metal becomes visible after removal of the layer.
Calculating the Melt Value
Melt value = weight (g) × fineness (‰ / 1000) × silver price (€/g)
Example: an 800 spoon, 50 g in weight, at a silver price of €0.90/g:
50 g × 0.800 × €0.90/g = €36.00
You can determine the exact value with the melt value calculator or the silver calculator.
Purchase and Realisation
Dealers buy solid silver cutlery as scrap silver at the melt value (less a discount for processing and margin). Silver-plated cutlery is rarely purchased – at most as a collector's item (manufacturers WMF, Bruckmann, Koch & Bergfeld) or decorative object. The purchase price calculator provides guideline values. Note: This article contains no tax or investment advice. Sources: cfr.gov.mt, legislation.mt, eur-lex.europa.eu.
In Brief
Solid silver cutlery carries an official fineness stamp (800, 835, 925) and has a real material value – silver-plated cutlery contains only traces of silver on a base-metal core and is virtually worthless in material terms. The hallmark decides.