Amazon.com description: Product Description: The full background of silver as a precious metal leads into a survey to which it has been put in decorative and practical objects over the centuries. Key areas covered include marks and assay offices, an understanding of which is vital to the collector. The majority of the book is concerned with the makers and their techniques, the types of decoration used, and the wide diversity of objects whcih have been fashioned in silver over the centuries. There is coverage of fakes and altered silver, as well as advice on caring for silver. This should be a useful book for the collector starting out who wishes to avoid pitfalls and bad purchases.