UK Silver Hallmarks: Complete British Hallmarking Guide

The British hallmarking system is the oldest and most comprehensive in the world, dating back to 1300 when King Edward I established the assaying of gold and silver at Goldsmiths' Hall, London. Every piece of silver sold in the UK must carry a hallmark confirming its purity, origin, and date of assay.

Key fact: A complete British silver hallmark consists of four marks stamped together: the maker's mark, standard mark (lion passant), assay office mark (town mark), and date letter. Some pieces also carry a duty mark (sovereign's head) used between 1784 and 1890.

British Assay Offices

Historically, Britain had numerous assay offices. Today, four remain active. Each uses a unique town mark to identify where silver was tested and hallmarked.

Assay Office	Town Mark	Active Period	Notes
London	Leopard's head	1300 – present	Oldest assay office. Leopard's head crowned until 1821, uncrowned after.
Birmingham	Anchor	1773 – present	Established by Matthew Boulton. The anchor was chosen by lot.
Sheffield	Crown (historic) / Rose (modern)	1773 – present	Used a crown until 1975, then switched to the Tudor rose.
Edinburgh	Castle (three turrets)	1457 – present	Edinburgh Castle mark. Scotland's only active assay office.
Chester	Wheat sheaf & sword	1686 – 1962	Closed in 1962. Chester marks are collectible.
Exeter	Castle (three turrets)	1701 – 1883	Similar to Edinburgh but with a different shield shape.
Newcastle	Three castles	1702 – 1884	Rare marks. Newcastle silver commands a premium.
York	Half leopard & half fleur-de-lis	1560 – 1858	Among the rarest British assay marks.
Dublin	Crowned harp	1637 – present	Irish silver. Hibernia figure added as duty mark from 1730.

The Lion Passant — Sterling Silver Standard Mark

The lion passant (a lion walking to the left) is the standard mark for sterling silver (92.5% purity) in England. It has been used since 1544 and is the most recognized British silver mark worldwide.

Lion passant guardant (facing viewer): Used from 1544 to 1820
Lion passant (profile only): Used from 1821 to present
Thistle mark: Used in Edinburgh instead of the lion passant for Scottish sterling silver
Britannia mark: Used during the Britannia standard period (1697–1720) for 95.8% silver, and optionally after

Date Letter System

Each British assay office uses a rotating alphabet to indicate the year a piece was hallmarked. The letter style, case, and shield shape change with each cycle. Below is a simplified London date letter table for key periods:

Letter	Year (London)	Style	Shield Shape
A	1796	Roman capitals	Square base
A	1816	Roman capitals	Rectangular
a	1836	Gothic lowercase	Pointed shield
A	1856	Old English capitals	Square shield
a	1876	Gothic lowercase	Square shield
A	1896	Roman capitals	Rectangular shield
a	1916	Black letter lowercase	Oblong
A	1936	Roman capitals	Oval
a	1956	Italic lowercase	Shield
A	1975	Roman capitals	New standard shapes

Tip: Date letters alone are not enough to determine the year. You must also identify the assay office, because London, Birmingham, Sheffield, and Edinburgh all used different letter cycles. A letter "B" in London may represent a completely different year than "B" in Birmingham.

Maker's Marks on British Silver

The maker's mark identifies the silversmith or company responsible for the piece. Before 1739, makers used symbols or devices. After 1739, the law required initials of the maker's first and last name.

Mark	Maker	Active Period	Specialty
PdL	Paul de Lamerie	1712 – 1751	Finest Huguenot silversmith. Rococo masterworks.
HB	Hester Bateman	1761 – 1790	Famous female silversmith. Bright-cut engraving.
PS	Paul Storr	1792 – 1839	Regency period. Grand centerpieces and candelabra.
EM & Co	Elkington & Co	1836 – 1963	Pioneered electroplating. Birmingham manufacturer.
M&W	Mappin & Webb	1860 – present	Sheffield-based. Royal Warrant holders.
WC	William Comyns	1859 – 1916	Art Nouveau silver, dressing table sets.

Duty Marks and Special Marks

Between 1784 and 1890, a sovereign's head (duty mark) was stamped on silver to show that tax had been paid on the piece. The profile changed with each monarch:

George III: 1784 – 1820 (right-facing profile)
George IV: 1820 – 1830
William IV: 1830 – 1837
Queen Victoria: 1837 – 1890 (left-facing profile)

Special commemorative marks have been struck for jubilees and coronations, including Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee mark (1977) and the Millennium mark (1999–2000).

Have a British Silver Hallmark to Identify?

Use our step-by-step tool to decode your hallmark and find its origin, date, and maker.

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