Trace A Hallmark

Hallmarks should answer three important questions: where, what and who. They can also tell you when a piece was made.

Where

The most important point in identifying UK hallmarks is to find the assay town mark. This tells you where the object was hallmarked. There are four assay offices still in operation in the UK: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Sheffield. The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office is the London hallmark.

What

Once this has been done the standard mark should be used to determine the type of metal using the standard or fineness marks. Be careful, as silver plated objects often have stamps resembling hallmarks. Make sure your marks match the official UK hallmarks.

When

The date letter, if present, should be compared to published tables of that assay office. Prior to 1975 the date letter varied for each assay office. Since 1999 the date letter has been a voluntary mark and therefore will not always be present. However, at London assay office, the mark is still applied as standard unless otherwise requested.

Who

Finally the sponsors' mark, which should be unique, indicates the manufacturer.

Most sponsors' marks take the form of initials surrounded by a shield design – this is important, as many different sponsors may have the same initials.

Other hallmarks, like commemorative or duty marks, can also provide clues to help you date your object.

How we can help

The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office can help you identify a wide range of hallmarks. Please email or post us a clear image showing the marks, with a description of the object.

If you are a retailer or member of the precious metal industry and want to identify a modern London hallmark (post 1975) please contact us here.

For all other enquiries, please contact the Library here.

The Library can also help with hallmarks from provincial assay offices now closed and overseas hallmarks.

For a list of standard works on hallmarking, please click here.