Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks
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Italian Hallmarks ~ from 1872

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Republic of Italy
Prior to its final unification in 1870, the nation we know of today as Italy was a diverse agglomeration of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, baronies & city states. Much of the land was ruled in absentia by France, Austria, Spain and the Vatican, the borders shifting as the powers of these Empires waxed and waned. In the centuries prior to the unification, the markings found on silver of the region were as markedly varied and complex as the politics and power struggles of the ruling classes. It was not until 1872 that the new nation instituted a loose, but fully national system of silver marking.

1872 ~ 1933 Optional National Marks

.950 silver

.900 silver

.800 silver
The crowned heads were optional marks and silvermiths were not required to have their work assayed and stamped, consequently these marks are not often found on Italian silver of the period.

1872 ~ 1933 Unsanctioned Common Marks








More commonly seen are the variations illustrated above. Silversmiths usually stamped a decimal standard mark in a variety of formats, the .800 standard was generally used. Their makers' marks varied; initials, full names, symbols and combinations thereof were used, sometimes including city names or addresses. Occasionally, Italian silver pieces of this period are found with a maker's mark, but no standard mark or indication of silver purity.

1934 ~ Present Official National Marks
1934 ~ 1944 1944 ~ 1968 1968 ~ Present




A





B







C
A. - The coming to power of the Fascist party in the 1920s brought a wave of governmental regulation. In 1934, new statutes were instituted for silver marking:
1. Silver standards were .800 and .925 marked within an oval cartouche.
2. Each silversmith registered and was assigned a number.
3. Maker's mark was prescribed a standard form, a lozenge with cut sides.
4. The maker's mark contained the silversmith's number, at center the "fasces" (an ancient Roman symbol, an axe bundled with birch sticks), and a two letter abbreviation of the province in which the silversmith was registered. (see chart below)

B. - In 1944, following the demise of the Fascist government, the "fasces" symbol was obliterated from the maker's mark.

C. - In 1968, new legislation ordered the maker's mark form changed to a rectangle with pointed sides, a five pointed star symbol added on left side. Standard marks of .800 and .925 retain the oval cartouche.
Our forum has an ongoing project to identify Italian silverware and jewelry manufacturers by their assigned numbers. Thus far, over 2,500 numerical marks have been documented.
Italian Numerical Marks Identification
Italian Province Abbreviations
AGAgrigento   ALAlessandria   ANAncona   AOAosta
APAscoli Piceno   AQL'Aquila   ARArezzo   ATAsti
AVAvellino   BABari   BGBergamo   BIBiella
BLBelluno   BNBenevento   BOBologna   BRBrindisi
BSBrescia   BZBolzano   CACagliari   CBCampobasso
CECaserta   CHChieti   CLCaltanisetta   CNCuneo
COComo   CRCremona   CSCosenza   CTCatania
CZCatanzaro   ENEnna   FEFerrara   FGFoggia
FIFirenze   FOForlì-Cesena   FRFrosinone   GEGenova
GOGorizia   GRGrosseto   IMImperia   ISIsernia
KRCrotone   LCLecco   LELecce   LILivorno
LOLodi   LTLatina   LULucca   MCMacerata
MEMessina   MIMilano   MNMantova   MOModena
MSMassa Carrara   MTMatera   NANapoli   NONovara
NUNuoro   OROristano   PAPalermo   PCPiacenza
PDPadova   PE Pescara   PG Perugia   PI Pisa
PN Pordenone   PO Prato   PR Parma   PT Pistoia
PU Pesaro-Urbino   PV Pavia   PZ Potenza   RA Ravenna
RC Reggio Calabria   RE Reggio Emilia   RG Ragusa   RI Rieti
RN Rimini   RO Rovigo   RM Roma   SA Salerno
SI Siena   SO Sondrio   SP La Spezia   SR Siracusa
SS Sassari   SV Savona   TA Taranto   TE Teramo
TN Trento   TO Torino   TP Trapani   TR Terni
TS Trieste   TV Treviso   UD Udine   VA Varese
VB Verbano   VC Vercelli   VE Venezia   VI Vicenza
VR Verona   VT Viterbo   VV Vibo Valentia      

Related Pages at 925-1000.com:
World Hallmarks
British Hallmarks Explained
Dutch Hallmarks
German Hallmarks pre-1886
German Hallmarks post-1886
French Hallmarks
Swedish Hallmarks
Finnish Hallmarks
Norwegian Makers
David-Andersen Marks
Georg Jensen Marks

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