The basic system
Each UK assay office stamps a single letter on items it tests; the letter changes every year. To avoid confusion, the cycle skips J (and historically I, U/V and others), and at the end of each cycle the style, the font, the case, and the shape of the shield around the letter, changes. The combination of letter, font and shield shape, plus the town mark, identifies the exact year. One date is worth memorising: since the Hallmarking Act 1973 took effect in 1975, all the UK offices have changed their date letter together on 1 January. Before 1975 each office ran its own cycle and changed letters at its own point in the year, London traditionally in May, which is why pre-1975 pieces need an office-specific chart rather than a single national one.
Why the date letter is read with the town mark
Different assay offices used different cycle starts and different fonts, so a lower-case "a" in a shaped shield with a Birmingham anchor refers to a different year than the same letter in London. There is no single nationwide chart that resolves the year from the letter alone. The letter, the office and the shield are read together.
How to use it in practice
- Identify the office. Find the anchor (Birmingham), leopard (London), castle (Edinburgh) or rose (Sheffield) punch. That is your town mark.
- Read the date letter. Look for a single letter in a shaped frame near the standard mark.
- Cross-reference an office-specific chart. The Goldsmiths’ Company publishes the official cycles; commercial silver guides reproduce them. Same letter in different cycles = different years.
- Confirm with the font. Where the office changed font between cycles, the font of the letter resolves which cycle the piece is from.
From 1999 onwards: optional date letter
From 1999 the date letter became optional. The compulsory marks today are the sponsor’s mark, the numeric standard mark and the town mark, with the date letter added on request. Special commemorative marks also appear on modern pieces: a millennium mark on items assayed in 1999 and 2000, Jubilee marks for 2002, 2012 and 2022, and a coronation mark for 2023. Any of these pins the piece to a year or two on its own. No chart needed.
When dating matters
A date letter does not move a scrap offer. Gold and silver are priced by carat and weight, and the year of assay does not come into it. On antique or named-maker pieces it is a different matter: a firm year can confirm which silversmith made the piece, and that often puts it well above the value of the metal. So if yours looks early, or carries initials you cannot place, send a photo and let us look at it as an antique first.
Common questions
Can I work out the year of my piece from just the date letter?
Not on its own. The same letter recurs in cycles. You need the town mark plus the font/shield to identify which cycle.
Where do I find the official UK date letter charts?
The Goldsmiths’ Company publishes the cycles for each assay office. Commercial silver guides reproduce them; a librarian can also help.
Does an old date letter mean my piece is worth more?
Not by itself. It identifies the year of assay. Combined with a named sponsor’s mark and a town mark, an early date can identify a maker whose work sells above scrap.
Not the question you had? The full GoldPaid FAQ covers the rest, from postal cover and ID checks to what happens if you decline the offer.
Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label
Two quick steps. The label arrives by email, usually within about 30 minutes during working hours. Requesting one commits you to nothing: you get a written offer after the XRF assay, and if you decline, your items come back to you free.
Two things worth knowing before you start, rather than after. Everyone sends a photo of a UK passport or driving licence, whatever the parcel is worth — it applies to every seller, so it is never a comment on you. And the parcel is handed in at a Post Office counter rather than dropped in a postbox: the receipt they give you is the proof of postage any compensation claim depends on.
Would you rather ask a question first, or send a photo? Message us on WhatsApp. It is the fastest way to get a sense of what something is worth before you post anything.