ENGLISH, SCOTTISH AND IRISH SILVER HALLMARKS
LONDON SILVER DATE LETTERS AND SYMBOLS
THE GUIDE TO MARKS OF BRITISH SILVER
  created by Giorgio B. owner of
www.silvercollection.it © English home page
 home page in Italiano page d'accueil en francais
This is a page of A Small Collection of Antique Silver and Objects of vertu, a 1000 pages richly illustrated website offering all you need to know about antique silver, sterling silver, silverplate, sheffield plate, electroplate silver, silverware, flatware, tea services and tea complements, marks and hallmarks, silver marking system and silver hallmarks guide, articles, books, auction catalogs, famous silversmiths (Tiffany, Gorham, Jensen, Elkington, WMF, Reed & Barton, Mappin & Webb, Bateman Family), history, oddities ...
SITE MAP - HOME PAGE
click on +1 button of google if you like silvercollection.it
HALLMARKS OF BRITISH SILVER MAKERS
ENGLAND - SCOTLAND - IRELAND - CHANNEL ISLANDS - COLONIES
HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER - MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION
| DUTY MARKS | LEOPARD'S HEAD | LONDON MARKS | WOMEN SILVERSMITHS | PSEUDO HALLMARKS | IMPORT MARKS | CONTEMPORARY MARKS |
The hallmarking of British sterling silver is based on a combination of marks that makes possible the identification of origin and age of each piece. The silver assay marks are:

Town mark, corresponding to the mark of the Assay Office that has verified the piece
London town mark Sheffield town mark Birmingham town mark Newcastle town mark Dublin town mark Edimburgh town mark Glasgow town mark

Lion passant guardant or Britannia or lion's head erased, certifiying the silver quality
lion passant: 1598-1820 lion passant: after 1820 Britannia and lion's head erased: from 1697 to 1718
Maker's mark, identifying the silversmith presenting the piece to the assay office (usually the initials of Christian name and surname of the silversmith)

British and English silver date letters hallmarking system, in cycles of twenty letters of the alphabet of different shape identifies the year in which the piece was verified by the Assay Office
London date letter 'a'
A further mark was used in the period 1784 - 1890:
Sovereign head ('duty mark'), certifying the payment of the duty
Sovereign head: duty mark from 1784 to 1890

LONDON SILVER DATE MARKS London town mark from 1739 to 1820 London town mark from 1821
London hallmarks:1558-1577 London hallmarks:1578-1597 London hallmarks:1598-1617 London hallmarks:1618-1637 London hallmarks:1638-1657 London hallmarks:1658-1677
London hallmarks:1678-1697 London hallmarks:1698-1715 London hallmarks:1716-1725 London hallmarks:1726-1735 London hallmarks:1736-1755 London hallmarks:1756-1775
London hallmarks:1776-1795 London hallmarks:1796-1815 London hallmarks:1816-1835 London hallmarks:1836-1855 London hallmarks:1856-1875 London hallmarks:1876-1895
London hallmarks:1896-1915 London hallmarks:1916-1935 London hallmarks:1936-1955 London hallmarks:1956-1974 London hallmarks:1975-1990 London hallmarks:1991-2001
BRITISH TOWN MARKS AND DATE LETTERS

HALLMARKS OF BRITISH SILVER MAKERS: ENGLAND - SCOTLAND - IRELAND - CHANNEL ISLANDS - COLONIES
HALLMARKS OF ENGLISH SILVER - MAKER'S MARK IDENTIFICATION
ALPHABETICAL LISTING
OF SILVERSMITHS' NAMES		 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
| DUTY MARKS | LEOPARD'S HEAD | LONDON MARKS | WOMEN SILVERSMITHS | PSEUDO HALLMARKS | IMPORT MARKS | CONTEMPORARY MARKS |
   
THE DIRECTORY OF SCOTTISH PROVINCIAL SILVER
ABERDEEN   ARBROATH    BALLATER    BANFF    CANONGATE    CUPAR    DUMFRIES    DUNDEE    ELGIN    ELLON    FOCHABERS    FORRES    GREENOCK    INVERNESS    MONTROSE    OBAN    PAISLEY    PERTH    PETERHEAD    TAIN    WICK
CAPE SILVERSMITHS A - C D - I J - M N - T U - Z
CHANNEL ISLANDS SILVERSMITHS A - F G - H I - P Q - Z unidentified
CANADA SILVERSMITHS A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AUSTRALIAN SILVERSMITHS A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z NOT IDENTIFIED

This page was useful? leave your LIKE on facebookgo to facebook page
work in progress on this page - your help, corrections and suggestions will be greatly appreciated -