What does Epns A1 mean on silver?

EPNS represents ElectroPlated Nickel Silver meaning silver plated over a base metal alloy made mostly of nickel. The term A1 is mostly a marketing ploy meant to indicate that a piece was of superior plating.

How do I find out how old my Sheffield plate is?

Since Old Sheffield Plate is made like a sandwich with silver being the bread and copper being the filling, look to the edges for clues. If when you turn over a piece, there is a thread-like silver protuberance on the underside of the edge, then it is Old Sheffield Plate (see Figure 4).

Is Sheffield silver plate worth anything?

Today, values for original Sheffield plate objects range from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Be careful not to be overzealous when cleaning your Sheffield objects. Overcleaning Sheffield plate can reveal an object’s copper core exposing the copper through the silver.

What does Epns mean on my silver pieces?

EPNS: Electroplated nickel silver, commonly known as “EPNS”, is an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc that’s covered with a layer of pure silver in an electrochemical process. Silver Soldered: This is another way of signifying that the piece is silver-plated.

Is Epns A1 worth anything?

A1 means “superior quality”. Your silver plated fish knife, if it is in excellent condition, has a current retail (replacement or insurance) value of approximately GBP 8. If you were to sell it, you could expect to get the fair market (private sale or auction) value of approximately 40% of the retail amount.

Is Epns worth anything?

If you have a piece marked EPNS that is not antique, it has no monetary value, but save it if you can use it. If it’s damaged, toss it in the trash.

How is Sheffield Plate made?

Sheffield Plating is a process whereby an ingot of copper is fused by heat with a thinner layer or sometimes a sandwich of silver. It then acts as a single entity that can be hammered or rolled into sheets and then formed into objects. Items made from this process are referred to as Old Sheffield Plate.

What is the difference between Sheffield Plate and Epns?

Silver-Plate is frequently referred to as Sheffield Plate as thousands of silver-plated items have ‘Sheffield’ stamped on their bases. Many silver plated items bear the marks ‘EPNS’ that stand for Electro Plated Nickel Silver or ‘EP’ for Electro Plate.

Where was Sheffield silver made?

Sheffield England
From the 18th through 19th centuries, Sheffield Plate pieces were in great demand and were being manufactured not only in Sheffield England, but also in Birmingham as well as in France and Russia. Almost all silver plate produced during this time is known as Old Sheffield Plate.

How do you identify Sheffield silver?

Three ways to identify Old Sheffield Plate: Closely examine the edges of the upper rim and the base. On these pieces, any applied border, handles or feet will usually have a seam. This means a layer of silver has been lapped over or “sandwiched” and therefore a piece you can correctly label as Old Sheffield Plate.

What is the difference between silver plated and Epns?

To identify silver plate, look for places where the thin layer of silver has worn away, revealing the base metal underneath. If the exposed base metal is a pale yellow, then the item is EPNS.

Is Epns cutlery valuable?