How can you tell the difference between solid silver, coin silver, plated silver and sterling silver?

The first thing you have to consider is where you got them and how much you paid for them, that could give you the first clue knowing if it is silver or if it is silver plated. Now, to find what silver "grade" is, you have to test it for the content of silver in them .999 fine silver (99.9% silver content), .925 sterling silver (92.5% silver and 7.5% copper), .900 coin silver (90% silver and 10% copper) and I've seen some cases where jewelry is marked .950 (95% silver and 5% copper). The most common method is the acid test, which consists in rubbing just a little of the metal in a test stone or with a test needle and use little acid solution on the rubbed metal. Depending on the color the solution turns it will give you the content of silver. The most difficult is the silver plated objects because you have to test it (scrape it) in the same place more than once to see if there is another metal behind the silver plate. But as I said, if you know the price paid for the object you'll get a clue about it. Another way to know is to know the different uses for the different kinds of silver. Fine silver is most commonly used for making collectible coins, bars and some industrial uses, sterling silver is the preferred in the jewelry industry along with the silver plated and you can find coin silver in the coins issued by the government. Sterling silver is also the proffered for table and silverware. If you are the kind of do it yourself person you can find some acid test kits on eBay or you can take it to your local jewelry shop in which the most likely will perform the acid test, but you'll get the results from a professional. I hope this helps. Antonio

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. A sterling silver object that is to be sold commercially is, in many countries, taken to an Assay office for testing of the purity of the metal. The item is then marked, usually via hammer and punch, with the Hallmark of that particular nation. The Hallmark for sterling silver varies from nation to nation. In some countries, such as the United States, no national hallmark was ever adopted, and the word "STERLING" or "925" was simply stamped into the piece. Because of this, some companies within the U.S., such as Tiffany and Gorham, adopted their own hallmarking systems. For example, pieces from the Gorham company can be identified by a Lion Passant (or Lion Rampant, depending on the year), an anchor and the letter "G", and sometimes an accompanying number to indicate the style. Fine silver is 99.9% silver or better. This grade of silver is used to make bullion bars for international commodities trading. In the modern world Fine Silver is understood to be too soft for general use. Coin silver is 90% silver and 10% copper as dictated by United States FTC guidelines. Coin Silver is lower grade than sterling. The Coin Silver standard was established in the US in the 1820s. This grade of silver was used in the silver coinage of the US as well as other countries that used silver currency minted in the US, such as Panama and the Philippines. Check out the Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Maker's Marks and post in their forum: http://www.925-1000.com/