Goldsmiths' Hallmark Authentication Committee
The Goldsmiths' Hallmark Authentication Committee (GHAC) - formerly The Antique Plate Committee (APC) - was founded in 1939, and is a unique, internationally renowned body, that adjudicates and advises on: the authenticity of an article’s provenance; whether an illegal alteration, repair or an addition has been made; and if the hallmark applied to it is genuine or a forgery.
Comprised of a dozen expert members who meet four times a year and serve for a fixed term, the members of the GHAC include dealers, restorers, academics and collectors, who are supported by the resources of the Goldsmiths’ Company Library & Archive, the London Assay Office, and an extended panel of volunteers who report and inspect potential problems in the trade.
The advice the GHAC delivers is based on an article’s hallmark, the knowledge and research of its expert panel members, and the interpretation of the results of scientific testing. Together they can provide the London Assay Office with the reasonable cause required by The Hallmarking Act 1973 (“the Act”) to cancel the marks on an article and, if the owner wants to sell it, remark it.
Procedure
All articles submitted for examination by the panel are sampled. To date test the piece a drawing is taken and the sample is compared on our ICP-OES Spectrometer to other known reference samples from the Goldsmiths' Collection. They will also compare the date mark with genuine hallmark plates of the period. Each year has its corresponding, unique mark and these are held in our archives.
The Committee's decision is final.
Submitting Articles to the Goldsmiths' Hallmark Authentication Committee
The GHAC meet on a quarterly basis. Goods need to be submitted for inclusion at least one month prior to the meeting.
You will need to complete a form for each item on its submission to our Goldsmiths’ Hall office.
Treatment of Unauthorised marks
Section 7 of the Hallmarking Act (1973) specifies how an assay office must deal with unauthorised marks and unauthorised alterations and additions. Depending upon the age of the article, the unauthorised marks will be cancelled. The owner then has the option of submitting it for hallmarking as a new article, and being charged accordingly, or having it marked with LAO (our Sponsor's Mark) and the case number given by the GHAC.
The owner, or person appearing to have control of the article, is informed by a letter from the Assay Office of the decision of the Committee. This may be a simple statement that the article complies with the Hallmarking Act (1973). For articles which do not comply with the Act, the treatment of the marks, and the subsequent options are specified.