Silver Cutlery: Plated vs. Solid
Also: silver cutlery, EPNS, heavy silver-plated, 800 cutlery, table silver
Solid silver cutlery is made entirely of a silver alloy, whereas plated cutlery carries only a thin silver layer 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 this valuable table silver - or just plated metal? The difference in material value is considerable, and it can be settled with a few targeted checks.
Solid silver cutlery
Solid silver cutlery is made through and through of a silver alloy. In Britain and the USA, sterling silver at 925 dominates; in Germany, Austria and Switzerland the classic standard for table silver was a fineness of 800 (800 grade). A single soup spoon of 800 silver typically weighs 40-60 g and thus contains 32-48 g of pure silver - a genuine material value that fluctuates with the current silver price.
The marking is found as a stamped hallmark: numbers such as 800, 835, 925, or the British lion symbol (Lion Passant) for sterling. Without a hallmark, caution is advised.
Plated cutlery
Plated cutlery carries only an electroplated silver layer on a carrier material - usually nickel silver (a copper-nickel-zinc alloy, also called alpacca), less often brass or steel. The layer thickness is typically 10-30 microns.
Common abbreviations and marks:
| Mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| EPNS | Electroplated Nickel Silver |
| EPBM | Electroplated Britannia Metal |
| A1 | Best quality plating grade (Anglo-American) |
| 90 | 90 g silver per 12 pieces (standard plating) |
| 100 | 100 g silver per 12 pieces |
| Heavy plated | at least 40 g per 24 pieces (~1.7 g/piece) |
The silver content of a single plated spoon is around 0.1-0.5 g - so the pure material value is negligible.
Distinguishing features compared
- Check the hallmark: solid silver bears an official fineness stamp (800, 835, 925). Plated cutlery often shows a maker's mark (EPNS, EPBM, Rogers) or simply no silver marking.
- Observe wear: at heavily used points (inside of the handle, edge of the bowl) the yellowish or grey-white base metal shows through on a 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, and then certainly plated).
- Weight: equally sized pieces of solid 800 silver are somewhat heavier than nickel-silver pieces, since 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 colour for 800 silver, and a stronger red for 925 silver. On a plated piece, the base metal becomes visible once the layer is worn away.
Calculating the melt value
Melt value = weight (g) x fineness (/ 1000) x silver price (GBP/g)
Example: an 800 spoon weighing 50 g, at a silver price of GBP 0.75/g:
50 g x 0.800 x GBP 0.75/g = GBP 30.00
Determine the exact value with the melt value calculator or the silver calculator.
Buying and disposal
Dealers buy solid silver cutlery as scrap silver at the melt value (less a deduction for processing and margin). Plated cutlery is rarely purchased - at most as a collector's item (makers such as WMF, Elkington, Mappin & Webb) or a decorative object. The purchase price calculator provides guide values. Note: this article contains no tax or investment advice.
In brief
Solid silver cutlery bears an official fineness stamp (800, 835, 925) and has a genuine material value - plated cutlery contains only traces of silver on a base-metal core and is almost worthless by material value. The hallmark is decisive.