British Silver Hallmarks

British Silver has been protecetd from fraud by the use of hallmarks for over 600 years.
From 1300 to 1477 a leopard's head uncrowned was used as a standard mark throughout the Uk. In 1478 under Edward IV a statute added date letters and a leopard's head crowned indicating that the piece had been assayed in London. This was significant as with the changing of the letter each year the item could be dated. In 1544 the lion passant guardant (head turned left) crowned was added to notify the sterling standard, 92.5% pure silver. From 1550 to 1821 the lion passant guardant was uncrowned. From 1821 to the present time it was just a lion passant (head facing forward).
During the reign of Charles II there was an increase in demand for silver with the fashion for luxury and ostentation and much sterling coinage was being melted down to meet this demand. To try and stop this in 1697 the standard was raised to 95.8% and this new Britannia standard was marked with a lions head erased and the figure of Britannia. In 1720 the sterling standard was reinstated as the higher standard proved too soft a metal but the higher Britannia standard remains as an alternative, mainly for prestigious items. From 1784 to 1890 the duty mark was added, this being the sovereign's head, to show that duty had been paid on assaying.
Understanding Hallmarks
Lion Passant: This mark is essential to identify that the piece is sterling silver (925, 92.5%). Any piece of English silver must have this mark, or it is not British sterling silver.
Britannia: This mark is essential to identify that the piece is Britannia standard (958, 95.8%) Although the use of the Britannia silver standard was not compulsory after 1720 (as explained above), it is still an authorized alternative. Good quality old Britannia marked silver is quite rare and collectible and therefore commands a higher price.
Makers Mark: This is the mark of the maker and identifies the specific person or company that made the item. This is very important as specific makers are more collectable than others, e.g Hester Bateman, Paul Storr, etc.
Date Letter: This is the stylized letter which denotes the year in which the piece was made. The letters change case, style and shield shape over the years.
Town Mark: This will tell you in which city the piece of silver was manufactured. The mark changes it style through the years but stays the same symbol (except Sheffield see below). For example the mark for London is a Leopards Head and it was crowned up until 1821, and then lost his crown from then onwards. (crowned - to 1821) (bare - from 1821)
List of Some of the Town Marks:
" Leopards Head London
" Crown Sheffield (Then from 1975 Rose)
" Anchor Birmingham
" Three Castles Edinburgh
" Three Sheaves of Corn Chester
" Tree Fish and Bell Glasgow
" Harp / Hibernia Dublin
" Newcastle
" Exeter
Duty Marks: Duty marks were stamped on silver to show taxes had been paid; Tax was calculated on the weight of the piece of silver.
. 1784 1785 - 1821 1822 - 1833 1834 - 1837 1830 - 1890
Optional additional commemorative hallmarks
Jubilee hallmark could be added to pieces assayed in 1935 showing the heads of King George IV and Queen Mary, marking their silver jubilee.
Coronation hallmark could be added to pieces assayed in 1953 showing Queen Elizabeth's head facing right.
Silver Jubilee hallmark could be added to pieces assayed in 1977 showing Queen Elizabeth's head facing left.
Millennium hallmark could be added to pieces assayed in 1999 and 2000 showing 2000 in a cross.
Golden Jubilee hallmark could be added to pieces assayed in 2002 showing Queen Elizabeth's head facing right on a flat base.
In Scotland and Ireland the silver standards and the dates of introduction of hallmarks have varied so the above information is to be used as a guide only. Further detailed information can be found in Bradbury's Book of Hallmarks or Jackson's Silver and Gold Marks.

Sterling silver hallmarks information

Use this Information to find out the town of assay of your silverware and its age.
All solid silver that has been registered in this country will carry assay marks. These marks ensure that the silver was tested for silver purity and quality.
Apart from assay marks, there will also be a date mark and in some cases a duty mark to indicate that a relevant tax had been paid. Typically a single piece will carry a Sterling Guarantee (such as a Lion), a Town mark from where it was assayed (Anchor, Crown, Castle etc.) a Date Letter (normally in a shield, circle or square) to identify the year of Assay (A-Z or a-z) and a Makers Mark (Typically some initials such as HA & P.S etc.)

LONDON MARKS (Leopards Head Town Mark)

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1679-1696
Date letters b to i (1686) then k (1687) to t (1696)

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1697-1719
Date letters - old copperplate type script a & b are 1697 then c (1698) to u (1715) (J is missing) then A B C D (1719)

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1720-1728
Date letters E to I (1724) and K (1725) to N, J is missing

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1729-1738
Date letters O P Q R S T U (U looks like a V) then a (1736) b c

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1739-1755
Date letters d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s (s looks like a long r) t u

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1756-1783
Date letters Gothic Script A B C D E F G H I (no J) K L M N O P Q R S T U (1775) then a to h

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1784-1785
Date letters i and k

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1786-1821
Date letters l to u (1795) then A (1796) to U (1815) missing out J, then a b c d e f(1821)

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1822-1833
Date letters g h i k l m n o p q r s

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1834-1837
Date letters t u then Gothic Script A (1836) and B (1873)

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1838-1890
Date letters Gothic Script C to U (1855) missing out J, then a (1856) to u (1875) (missing out j)
this is followed by A (1876) to P (1890), missing out J

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1891-1895
Date letters Q R S T U

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1896-1915
Date letters a to u missing out j

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1916-1922
Date letters Gothic Script a b c d e f g

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1923-1935
Date letters Gothic Script h i k l m n o p q r s t u

LONDON ASSAY MARK 1936-1974
Date letters Heavy Capitals A to U (1955) missing out J, then italic a to t (missing out j)
NORWICH MARKS (Castle Town Mark)

NORWICH ASSAY MARK 1624-1625

NORWICH ASSAY MARK 1626-1627

NORWICH ASSAY MARK 1628-1629

NORWICH ASSAY MARK 1630-1636

NORWICH ASSAY MARK 1637-1638

NORWICH ASSAY MARK 1639-1661

NORWICH ASSAY MARK 1689-1697
SHEFFIELD MARKS (Crown Town Mark)

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1773-1783
Date Letters, these are quite stylised and hard to read: E F A R h s A C D G B J e

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1784-1785
Date Letters, these are quite stylised and hard to read:J e (e looks more like a y backwards)

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1786-1833
Date Letters, again stylised and hard to read: k T w m L P U D m q Z V (1798) then Standard Text: E (1799) N H M F G B A S P K L C D R W O T X I V Q Y Z U (1823), then a (1824) b c d e f g h k i (1833)

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1834-1839
Date Letters m p q r s t

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1840-1867
Date Letters u v x z (1843) then A to Z (1867) missing out J and Q

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1868-1890
Date Letters A (1868) to X (1890) missing out I

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1891-1913
Date Letters Y Z (1892) then Gothic Script a (1893) to v (1913) missing out j

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1914-1917
Date Letters Gothic script w r y z (1917)

SHEFFIELD ASSAY MARK 1918-1974
Date Letters a to z (1942) missing out j, then A (1943) to Z (1967) missing out J, then Copperplate A B C D E F G
DUTY MARKS AND THE MILLENNIUM MARK

DUTY MARK: Victoria 1837-1890

DUTY MARK: George III 1784-1785

DUTY MARK: George III 1785-1820

DUTY MARK: Coronation 1952-1953 Queen Elizabeth

DUTY MARK: Jubilee 1934-1935 George V and Queen Mary

DUTY MARK: Silver Jubilee 1977 Queen Elizabeth II

MILLENNIUM MARK - ASSAY MARK FOR 2000 ONLY

SILVER GIFTS.

Silver Gifts