Patine — guidesReading marks on silver, pottery, glass and furniture.https://getpatine.comAssay office marks — leopard, anchor, crown, rosehttps://getpatine.com/guides/assay-office-markshttps://getpatine.com/guides/assay-office-marksWhich town tested a piece of silver, and what to do when the office mark belongs to one that closed. The four open offices and the ones that are not.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTDating a piece by its country markhttps://getpatine.com/guides/dating-by-country-markhttps://getpatine.com/guides/dating-by-country-markWhat England, Made in England, Nippon, Occupied Japan and West Germany each bracket — and why a country mark is a floor rather than a date.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTEPNS, silver plate and sterlinghttps://getpatine.com/guides/epns-silver-plate-and-sterlinghttps://getpatine.com/guides/epns-silver-plate-and-sterlingEPNS means electroplated nickel silver and contains no sterling at all. How to tell plate from solid silver, and why plate carries no hallmark.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTHow to read a British silver hallmarkhttps://getpatine.com/guides/how-to-read-a-silver-hallmarkhttps://getpatine.com/guides/how-to-read-a-silver-hallmarkThe four marks on British silver, what each one does, and how to read them in the right order — with the assay offices' own tables behind every date.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTSilver date letters, and the shield around themhttps://getpatine.com/guides/silver-date-lettershttps://getpatine.com/guides/silver-date-lettersA date letter gives the exact year a piece was assayed — but only against the right office's table. How the cycles work and the mistake most people make.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhat an auction result actually sayshttps://getpatine.com/guides/what-an-auction-result-sayshttps://getpatine.com/guides/what-an-auction-result-saysEstimate, hammer price and buyer's premium are three different numbers. Which one is evidence of value, and why comparing the wrong pair misleads.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhat the lion passant on silver actually meanshttps://getpatine.com/guides/what-the-lion-passant-meanshttps://getpatine.com/guides/what-the-lion-passant-meansThe walking lion on English silver means sterling — .925 — and nothing else. What it does not tell you, and what the Britannia mark means instead.Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT