Hallmarks · By country
Austro-Hungarian hallmarks
The Habsburg lands changed their marking system repeatedly, which means the exact variant matters more here than almost anywhere else.
- Marking since
- 1806
- Gives a year
- No
How the system works
From 1867 to 1922 a head of Diana in profile was used on silver, with a numeral for the standard and a letter identifying the assay town. Hungary used a dog's head. After the empire dissolved in 1918, Austria and Hungary introduced separate national systems in the 1920s.
The marks
| Mark | What it means |
|---|---|
| Diana's head | Austro-Hungarian silver, 1867 to 1922, with a standard numeral and a town letter. |
| Dog's head | Hungarian silver of the imperial period. |
The standards
| Figure or mark | Fineness and use |
|---|---|
| 800 | The common standard. |
| 900 | A higher standard, often on better work. |
Dating a austro-hungarian piece
By which system is present. Diana's head places a piece between 1867 and 1922 and the empire's earlier marks run back to 1806 in several distinct series.
Where the marks will not give you a year, date the piece from its construction instead: the catch, the metal, the setting and the cut of the stones. That method is set out in how to date antique jewelry.
Where people go wrong
- The letter beside Diana's head is the town, not a date.
- Austro-Hungarian marks are frequently mistaken for German ones. The crescent and crown is German; a head in profile with a numeral is Habsburg.
- 800 and 900 are the usual standards rather than sterling.
Other countries
United Kingdom · Ireland · France · Germany · Denmark · Sweden · Norway · Finland · Netherlands · Russia and the Soviet Union · Italy · Switzerland · United States · Mexico · Portugal · Spain · India · China and Hong Kong · Japan · Turkey and the Ottoman Empire · International marks