Silver Hallmark

Quality index of silver is hallmark. The higher the hallmark the higher and better the silver quality and the more costly the coin made of this silver. The higher hallmarks are 945, 925, 903, 900, 810, 720, and 640. The coins with hallmarks under 500 are billons. They made of alloy consisting of silver and a base metal.

The reasons for using an alloy in coinage are: first - the hardness of alloy (remind that the silver is soft metal), second - the alloy make the coinage cheaper. It is possible to make big coins using less silver. Billon has a spongy surface.

First billons were released at 4th century B.C. on Lesbos; coin had 40 percents of silver. The less silver had billon in Ancient Rome. Denarius there had so much copper that it was called ‘white copper’. Since that times until nowadays billons are used for fractional currency.

Silver coins in European countries had 640, 720, 900, 903 and 945 hallmark. In England silver coins had 925 hallmark, but states teamed up with Latin Monetary Union 1865 accepted standard of coinage as: large silver coins must have 900 hallmark and small silver coins must have 835 hallmark.

Latin Monetary Union 1865 was created in attempt to integrate coinage in European countries. For union members were determined equal measures: weight, hallmark, alloy and nominal of the coins. But every country kept their designation of the coins. France, Switzerland and Belgium had franc; Italy had lira and Greece had drachm.

Silver 5-franc coin could be issued with no restrictions. Observe of the coin shows the Sower wearing a dress. Sower wearing a Phrygian cap, it was the symbol of freedom in ancient France. When Europe changed the monetary system at 1999, the Sower transferred to the euro 20 cents.