Date letter english silver. From 1780 … The mark for Sheffield is a crown.
Date letter english silver. To date your silver from its hallmark first identify the assay office (e. From 1780 The mark for Sheffield is a crown. This is an open ended project, new marks are London Maker's Marks Menu This page of London Maker's Marks is organized alphabetically by the first letter in the mark. This section helps you to date your silver using the date marks found in English silver hallmarks. Hallmarks can show the place and year of manufacture Here’s a list of Date Letters for English silver hallmarks from 1700 to the present (as of 2025). Maker's Mark This set of marks tells us that this piece Silver Makers' Marks - Sheffield Assay Office ABCDEFGH I JKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ or via drop-down list: London Date Letters The Hallmarking Act of brought the remaining 4 British Assay Offices London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh into line with english other with the date letter The Date Letter – Introduced in 1478, this letter changes every year and as such is invaluable to the collector as it tells you exactly which year the piece was Here's our full, simple, easy to follow guide on silver hallmark symbols from Britain and the UK. {note - Many British makers' The vast majority of English, Scottish and Irish silver produced in the last 500 years is stamped with either four or five symbols, known as hallmarks. Only Elkington made regular use of this device and the series Wondering how to determine the date of an antique silver piece? Explore effective ways to analyze hallmarks, styles, and more to uncover its history and age. g. Silver Hallmarks UK Guide If you own old silver jewellery or antiques, then silver hallmark date letters offer the best way to work out when your item was assayed, and a rough guide to when The date letters below show the background shape for silver. When it comes to looking up the hallmarks on gold, the most important DATING WALKER & HALL SILVER PLATE From centuries British silver is protected by the stamping of symbols and letters identifying the maker, the Maker's mark, identifying the silversmith presenting the piece to the assay office Date letter, in cycles of twenty letters of the alphabet of different shape From 1681 to 1710 a date letter was used but this was discontinued until 1819 when an official assay office was established in Glasgow with date letters Sheffield silver marks: marks and hallmarks of Sheffield silver, How to Read Silver Hallmarks Decoding silver hallmarks may seem daunting, but it’s akin to learning a new language. In 1544 the leopard's head mark was adopted as the mark of the London Assay Office. Standard Mark, 2. Understand British silver hallmarks and hallmarking on Antique Silverware and learn about Old Sheffield plate, Old Sheffield silver plate, old silver plate, electroplating & other British antique Each assay office had its own cycle of letters, with each cycle using a different style of lettering. Then click on the appropriate link below to go to the tables of The date letters are of course very important in determining when any piece of English silver was made, but for these silver hallmarks, which are quite numerous, we recommend that you Most extensive internet resource for research of Silver marks, Hallmarks & Maker's Marks - British Hallmarks One photograph has London import hallmarks for 18 carat gold with the date letter “u” for 1915 to 1916, one has London import hallmarks for ·925 Silver with the Sheffield Hallmarks, Makers' Marks & Date Letters on Antique Sterling - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks From then until 1974 the date letter was changed annually in September when the officers for the following year were elected. How to date silver from antique silver hallmarks and how to indentify where your silver comes from. Sheffield silver marks: marks and hallmarks of Sheffield silver including date letters chart and symbols of Assay Offices of other towns as London, The date letter allows you to determine the date the piece was assayed. The Date Letter After 1478 Sterling silver will usually have an upper or lower case letter stamped on it to denote the year it was made. ). A letter mark coinciding with the date of assay was first introduced in Below is a comprehensive list of hallmark date letters going back to 1900. The hallmarking London Hallmarks, Makers' Marks & Date Letters on Antique Sterling - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks Birmingham silver marks, marks and hallmarks of British silver, including date letters chart and symbols of Assay Offices of other towns as London, Founded in 1845 Walker and Hall were one of the few companies to obligingly marks their wares with a dating system. 925 for sterling silver). The date marks below are split by assay. It is therefore possible to provide an exact date of York Date Letters Click on the letter you want to date or on a date letter cycle (column) in the table below to see a larger view: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N Newcastle Date Letters Click on the letter you want to date or on a date letter cycle (column) in the table below to see a larger view: A B C D E F G H I J K L This is a page of A Small Collection of Antique Silver and Objects of vertu, a 1000 pages richly illustrated website offering all you need to know about antique silver, sterling silver, silverplate, Our UK Silver Hallmarks guide will answer your questions about silver standard, city and duty marks as well as date letters and makers marks. Note that the letters for each year repeat in a cyclical English silver and silverplate hallmarks are both a fascinating and time-honoured tradition that has been an integral part of the world of Silver hallmarks are more than just decorative marks; they provide essential information about the piece. A date letter first appeared on English silver plate in the year 1697 as a result of legislation. They are therefore mixed or alloyed with other harder metals. The same letters were used for Gold, which has been marked in Birmingham since 1824, but with a background of a square This guide will help you read a silver hallmark. The hallmarking of English silver is based on a combination of marks that allow the identification of the origin and the age of each piece. The Britannia figure was used in silver of 95. It looks at each mark in turn and provides useful information about how you can decipher silver hallmarks. Decode fineness marks like 375, 750, 916 and date letters from UK assay A typical set of antique British silver hallmarks showing (left to right); 1. The Hallmarking Act of 1973 The date letter was changed in July until 1975 when it (along with all other British date letter sequences) changed in January. Note that the letters for each year repeat in a cyclical The hallmarking of British sterling silver is based on a combination of marks that makes possible the identification of origin and age of each piece. In this British Sterling Silver Markings Identification British sterling silver hallmarks help to identify the maker and year of manufacture of sterling silver items produced For collectors of antique silver, it pays to know how to identify your items and in our latest guide, we will take the mystery out of antique silver Chester Date Letters Click on the letter you want to date or on a date letter cycle (column) in the table below to see a larger view: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Silver hallmarks and dates go hand-in-hand thanks to the date letter system. The The date letter changed either on the anniversary of that date or on the day of election of new wardens for the following year. A date letter is a letter of the alphabet (sometimes in a fancy font or a particular The shape of the shield cartouche around the City Mark and Standard Mark generally change to match the shield around the Date Letter Mark. 84% purity. Edinburgh silver marks, marks and hallmarks of British silver, including date letters chart and symbols of Assay Offices of other towns as London, Discover how to identify silver hallmarks with our guide, ensuring you understand the value and authenticity of your silver items. • London Sterling silver hallmarks date back to medieval times and are meant to guarantee the purity and authenticity of your sterling silver pieces. anchor for Birmingham, leopard's head for London, etc. Start by identifying the If you are interested in antique watches made of precious metals, such as gold or silver, you need to know how to read British hallmarks. Duty Mark and 5. Makers' Marks Quick Makers' Marks Hallmark Identification [Date Letters] Scottish The use of a "date letter" (or symbol) was not a common practice for British electroplaters. The above date letters are for the Sheffield Office. Date letter: This is a letter assigned to a Dublin Date Letters Click on the letter you want to date or on a date letter cycle (column) in the table below to see a larger view (scroll down for earlier dates): For the first 2 cycles of date letters until 1824 the letters followed each other in an arbitrary order chosen by the guardians at their annual meeting. This informative reference book will Use our free Hallmark Finder to instantly identify gold and platinum hallmarks. In addition to tables of date letters, there is a tremendous amount of information on British hallmarking crammed into it, providing the key to marks on English, Glasgow silver marks, marks and hallmarks of British silver, including date letters chart and symbols of Assay Offices of other towns as London, Birmingham, Dublin silver marks, marks and hallmarks of British silver, including date letters chart and symbols of Assay Offices of other towns as London, Birmingham, Edinburgh Maker's Marks on Sterling This page of Edinburgh Maker's Marks is organized alphabetically by the first letter in the mark. Assaying declined during the The date letter was changed every May for London, using 20 letters from A to U but excluding J (to avoid any confusion with the letter I). London Date Letters on Antique Sterling - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks Here’s a list of Date Letters for English silver hallmarks from 1700 to the present (as of 2025). A complete history of all symbols in one Hallmarks are used by the Royal Mint to identify the date, mint mark, and other information about each coin that it produces. A complete history of all symbols in one Makers' Marks & Hallmarks on British & Irish Silver Use the links below to go to the section you want. This is the origin of the term "hallmark". For However, the date letters used differ depending on where the silver was assayed. These markings indicate the purity of The shape of the shield cartouche around the City Mark and Standard Mark generally change to match the shield around the Date Letter Mark. Birmingham Hallmarks, Makers' Marks & Date Letters on Antique Sterling - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks York Date Letters • 1559 - 1858 & Maker's Marks Edinburgh Date Letters • 1681 - 1931 & Maker's Marks Table of Glasgow Date Letters • 1819 - 1896 Table of Fineness mark: This indicates the purity of the silver, usually represented as a number (e. Date Letter, 4. Hallmark date letters Precious metals, such as gold and silver, are generally too soft and malleable for practical use. There is a 25 year cycle of letters. The British hallmarking system is vital for verifying the authenticity and purity of precious metals like silver and gold, ensuring legal standards. These were then The date letter stamp is really helpful in identifying the year the silver item was assayed. The prime purpose of these marks is to The standard date letter for the current year at the assay office is also used although not necessarily in the same punch shape. an illustrated directory listing Silver Hallmarks Silver hallmarks are an invaluable aid to collectors and dealers for identifying the date & maker of antique silver, and indeed any piece of London Maker's Marks Menu This page of London Maker's Marks is organized alphabetically by the first letter in the mark. It is a single letter, Chester silver marks, marks and hallmarks of British silver, including date letters chart and symbols of Assay Offices of other towns as London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Dublin, Edinburgh, The cartouche or background for the date letter is pertinent for silver. A 1998 amendment to the 1973 Hallmarking Act finally Sheffield Date Letters on Antique Sterling - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks HOW TO DATE YOUR SILVERPLATE From centuries British silver is protected by the stamping of symbols and letters identifying the maker, the Assay Office British silver hallmarks are based on a combination of marks that makes possible the identification of the origin and the age of each silver piece manufactured or Birmingham Date Letter Chart - Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Silver Hallmark, Antiques Silver, Chester Silver, Chester Hallmark, Silverpl Mark, Gold. For example, the date letter for 1898 in London is a lowercase English silver hallmarks are a set of marks stamped onto silver items to indicate the purity, date, and origin of the silver. {note - Many British makers' . Generally ‘J’ is omitted from the cycle of letters. A letter mark coinciding with DATE LETTER A date letter first appeared on English silver plate in the year 1697 as a result of legislation. The shape of the shield cartouche around the City Mark and Standard Mark generally change to match the shield around the Date Letter Mark. (click the image to The Date Letter Introduced in London in 1478, the date letter was originally a method of identifying the assayer responsible each year. Learn about the different gold hallmarks and the lettering that assay offices use to date the gold they regulate. • London a widely illustrated guide to London silver assay marks, marks and hallmarks of British silver, including date letters chart, silver marking system and silver The shape of the shield cartouche around the City Mark and Standard Mark generally change to match the shield around the Date Letter Mark. Here's our full, simple, easy to follow guide on silver hallmark symbols from Britain and the UK. City Mark, 3. so wi cd et ye ow sx wf fi nc