Published 2 June 2026
Why Birmingham got an assay office
In 1773 Birmingham and Sheffield were producing huge quantities of metalwork but had no local assay office. Makers had to send pieces to Chester or to London to be hallmarked. Matthew Boulton, the Soho Manufactory industrialist, led a campaign in Parliament to fix it. The Plate Assay Act of 1773 established assay offices in both Birmingham and Sheffield in the same statute. The town marks were chosen at the same meeting at the Crown and Anchor tavern in London. Tradition says the two towns drew lots: Birmingham got the anchor, Sheffield got the crown.
The mark today
The modern Birmingham anchor is a clean, simple anchor inside a shield-shaped punch. The shield shape has been refined over the years, but the mark has always been recognisable. The office punches gold, silver, platinum and palladium at their respective standards.
Reading a Birmingham hallmark step by step
- Find the row of punches inside the shank, on the clasp, or on the back of the pendant.
- Read the standard mark (375, 585, 750, 916, 999 for gold).
- Look for the anchor in its shield. It is small but distinctive.
- Read the date letter if it is present. Birmingham's date letters follow their own font and shield cycle.
- Read the sponsor mark. Many Birmingham sponsor marks belong to well-known Jewellery Quarter manufacturers.
The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter
The Quarter is the largest concentration of jewellery makers in Europe, and the Birmingham Assay Office has been embedded in that community for two and a half centuries. A piece carrying the anchor is very often a Birmingham-made piece by a Birmingham sponsor. It is one of the most useful provenance marks on British 19th and 20th-century gold.
Common pieces you will see with the anchor
Victorian and Edwardian wedding bands, Art Deco signet rings, mid-century 9ct charm bracelets and 1970s-80s chains were produced in vast numbers in Birmingham. Anchor-marked 9ct (375) is one of the most common items in any UK gold parcel that comes through a postal buyer.
What the anchor tells a buyer
A Birmingham hallmark tells a buyer two things: the piece has been independently assayed at a UK office, and the sponsor is registered at Birmingham. The XRF test on arrival confirms the alloy still matches the standard claimed by the mark. Where the alloy and the mark agree, the buyer pays on the standard. Where they do not, the offer is calculated against what the test actually found.
Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market. Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. See how to sell gold by post.
A close
The anchor is the everyday mark on British gold. It does not signal high or low value on its own. What it tells you is that the piece passed through a Birmingham laboratory, struck by a punch that has been used in essentially the same form since George III's reign. Combined with the standard mark and a written XRF valuation, it is enough to price the piece confidently.
Common questions
When was the Birmingham anchor first used?
1773, after the Plate Assay Act established Birmingham and Sheffield assay offices in the same statute.
Why an anchor for an inland city?
Tradition says the choice was made at the Crown and Anchor tavern in London during the Parliamentary lobbying. Birmingham and Sheffield drew lots for the marks.
Is the anchor only used on silver?
No. Birmingham marks gold, silver, platinum and palladium with the same anchor town mark.
How is Birmingham's date letter cycle organised?
Cycles of 20 to 26 letters inside changing shield shapes, similar to other UK offices. The combination of letter and shield identifies the year.
Does the anchor mean a piece is Birmingham-made?
It means the piece was assayed in Birmingham. Most often the maker is also a Birmingham sponsor, but the office is open to sponsors registered anywhere.
Are old Birmingham hallmarks easy to find references for?
Yes. The Birmingham Assay Office publishes guidance and date-letter charts. Most printed UK hallmark guides include them.
Can a Birmingham hallmark be faked?
Counterfeits exist for any prestigious mark. XRF testing is the modern check against fakes.
Does GoldPaid value anchor-marked items?
Yes. The hallmark is the inspection starting point. The written valuation is built on the XRF result, weight and the live precious-metal market.