Get your item identified today! →

Chinese Export Silver Marks Identification Guide


This glossary lists some of the most common marks of artisan and retail silversmiths found on antique Chinese export silver. Identification of Chinese silver marks can often prove to be a tedious task so we’ve created this simple, condensed list of names, marks, dates and locations to make your initial research slightly easier. This simple guide is based on data from a variety of sources and auction listings. We’ve tried our best to correctly transcribe Chinese character marks based on photographs found in literature and online, but if you spot any mistakes, please let us know! Most dates are approximate and based on known examples rather than official records so use them as a rough guide only. For simplicity we’ve included one primary reference (with dating) for each mark, but in many cases we’ve used several sources with different variations of the mark while compiling this list.

Last updated: December 2024


Understanding different types of marks found on Chinese export silver

1. artisan silversmith marks – these marks in Chinese characters belong to the person who created and decorated the object

2. retail silversmith marks – mark of the retailer who sold the object in their shop. Retail silversmith and artisan silversmith can in some cases be the same person. These marks are usually initials or a full name written in English.

3. location marks – either in English or Chinese characters – you can find examples of these below.

4. purity marks – Chinese silver is most commonly marked with ‘Zu Wen’ (high-grade silver) mark in Chinese characters. Sometimes it is also stamped STERLING or SOLID SILVER. There are also numerical marks such as 90, 85, 80 or 935, 900 etc.


Generic silver marks

足紋 or 足銀 – high-grade silver
純銀 – pure silver (Japanese silver mark)
点銅 (Diăntóng) – Chinese pewter mark
北京 – Beijing
廣東 – Guangdong
or 上海 – Shanghai
南京路 – Nanjing Road
天津 – Tientsin (Tianjin)

Typical Chinese ‘zú wén’ 足紋 silver mark

A

Fine Antique Japanese Silver Bowl With Prunus Blossom by Arthur and Bond, Yokohama. Meiji Period
Fine Antique Japanese Silver Bowl With Prunus Blossom by Arthur and Bond, Yokohama. Meiji Period (from our archive)

B


C

Antique Chinese Export Silver Peach Shaped Dish With Cum Wo Mark (from our archive)

D



F


G


H

Fine Chinese export silver bowl made by artisan silversmith Qi Chang 其昌 and sold by Hung Chong & Co. (from our archive)

I


J


K

Impressed mark of KUT SHOWN 吉順 PEWTER No.1 SWATOW (from our archive)

L

Incised mark of Lao Tian Li 老天利製 on a cloisonné enamelled vase (from our archive)

M


N

Mark of NGAN KI HEUNG 顏奇香 PEWTER WARE SWATOW (from our archive)

O


P


Q


S

Mark of Sincere & Co with letter S and Chinese form of their name ‘Xian Shi’ 先施 (short for 先施公司). Between them is the purity mark 90. Mark on the left appears to be character 壎 ‘Xūn’. (from our archive)

Typical stylized ‘Shisou’ mark 石叟 from a Qing dynasty silver inlaid bronze vase (from our archive)


T

Mark of Tai Shan 泰山 with the mark for Beijing (Peking) 北京 at the top, written right to left (from our archive). Sometimes incorrectly transcribed as ‘Jiu Tai Shan’ 就泰山.


U


W

Antique Chinese Export Silver Lobed Bowl By Woshing. Shanghai, late 19th century
Antique Chinese Export Silver Lobed Bowl By Woshing. Shanghai, late 19th century (from our archive)

X


Y


Z


Need more help?

If you need further assistance with identification of unknown Chinese silver marks, please contact us.


Antique Chinese Silver – Auctions Ending Soon

Right Now on eBay 
Clicking a link to eBay may result in a referral commission being paid if a purchase is made.

When you click links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Identification of Asian Antiques. Translation of Chinese and Japanese Porcelain Marks