How to trace an historic London hallmark
Hallmarking is one of the oldest forms of consumer protection, established in England in 1300 by Edward I. The Goldsmiths’ Company has been applying hallmarks ever since, and today these are applied at its London Assay Office.
Hallmarks guarantee the quality of precious metal in a piece of jewellery or silverwork. They should also 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 Assay Office, and its assay town mark is the leopard’s head.
What
Once the town mark has been identified, the standard or fineness mark should be used to determine the type of metal. Be careful, as silver-plated objects often have stamps resembling hallmarks. Make sure your marks match the official UK hallmarks.
Who
The sponsor’s mark, which should be unique, indicates the manufacturer or individual who brought the piece to be hallmarked. On older pieces this is referred to as the maker’s mark.
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.
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 the London Assay Office, the mark is still applied as standard unless otherwise requested. Other hallmarks, like commemorative or duty marks, can also provide clues to help you date your object.
How we can help
The Library and Archive team can offer support for the identification of historic hallmarks struck before 1975. If you would like to ask about a hallmark, please get in touch using the contact form below. We will reply with a request for images - they must be clear enough for you (and us!) to see the details of the marks. Often, identifying a hallmark relies on the finer details of the marks that have been applied – a written or verbal description will not be enough.
If you would like to research multiple pre-1975 hallmarks, you can also use this form to arrange a visit to the library to carry out your own research. Please note that appointments are by prior arrangement only.
London marks struck after 1975
The London Assay Office can assist with more recent London hallmarks. Please email the LAO with a clear image showing the marks, and a description of the object.
Please note that with the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations, we are limited in the information we can share on 20th and 21st Century makers, and it may not be possible to provide an identification in all cases.
The Goldsmiths’ Company Library includes a wide range of resources which can assist in identifying foreign marks. Please email us to discuss assistance with identifying non-UK marks.