The Lesser State Emblem
of the Russian Empire
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The Great State Emblem
of the Russian Empire
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The State Emblem
of the Russian Empire
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A Brief Overview of Russian Hallmarking
Russian standardized hallmarking, as we know it today, stems from a 1700 ukaz or decree of Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725). While in the process of reforming the Russian monetary system, Tsar Peter I fixed the production of silversmiths to four standard silver purities: 96, 90, 84 and 62 zolotniki. A zolotnik is an obsolete Russian weight measure and within this system there are 96 zolotniki to a troy pound, thus:
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96 zolotniki = 96/96 or 1000/1000 parts pure silver or .1000
90 zolotniki = 90/96 or 937/1000 parts pure silver or .937
84 zolotniki = 84/96 or 875/1000 parts pure silver or .875
62 zolotniki = 62/96 or 645/1000 parts pure silver or .645
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note: In 1732, the standard of 72 zolotniki (.750) was added and in 1779, it fully replaced 62 zolotniki as the legal minimum standard.
In 1798, the 84 zolotniki (.875) standard replaced 72 zolotniki as the legal minimum standard. Athough 88 & 91 zolotniki were sometimes used on higher quality work, 84 zolotniki is the most commonly seen silver standard used in Russia throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The 1700 edict also ordered the use of masters' or makers' marks, date marks and city marks. Throughout the 18th century these marks evolved into a standardized system and by the mid-18th century Russian silver is usually seen bearing four touchmarks:
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Maker's Mark - initials of the master silversmith responsible for the piece, these can be in either Cyrillic or Latin letters, sometimes a full name is stamped.
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Assayer's Mark - initials of the assay master with year date below, assay masters' marks are always in Cyrillic letters.
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Silver Standard Mark - two numerals in a rectangle indicating the zolotniki; 62, 72, 74, 76, 82, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, and 94 have all been used at one time or another, only 84 and above from 1798.
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City Mark - usually a device from the Arms of the city indicated. In the late 19th century, the city mark and standard mark were often combined into on stamp.
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The Kokoshnik Marks
In 1896, Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918) issued an edict that reformed this old system and the Kokoshnik mark came into being. As thousands of new diestamps had to be created, the kokoshnik did not come into full use until 1899.
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Until 1908, the mark consisted of a left facing woman's head in profile within an oval cartouche, she is wearing the peasant headdress traditionally referred to as a kokoshnik. To her left is the standard number and to her right are the assayer's initials which also indicate the assay office.
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From 1908, her profile is facing right with standard number to her right and, to her left, a small Greek letter that indicates the city or region of assay.
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Russian Silver Marks Menu
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Sources
Russkoe yuvelirnoe iskusstvo, ego tsentry i mastera - M. M. Postnikova-Loseva;
Nauka, 1974
Guide to Russian Silver Hallmarks - Paul L. Paulson; Paulson, 1976
Russian Gold and Silver - Alexander von Solodkoff; Trefoil Books, 1981
Russian Silver - Andrei Gilodo; Beresta Moscow, 1993
Znaki srebra do lat 40. dwudziestego wieku w Polsce - Sławomir Bołdok; Mako Press, 2005
Russian Silversmiths' Hallmarks; 1700 to 1917 - Geoffrey Watts; Gemini Publications, 2006
925-1000.com Silver Marks Forum - various member posts, 2005-2009
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Looking to do further research? Have a mark you can't identify? Join the forum.
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