Why London and why a leopard
The Goldsmiths' Company is the trade body responsible for the London Assay Office. Its statutory hallmarking role goes back to 1300, when a royal statute required gold and silver wares in the City of London to be tested at Goldsmiths' Hall and stamped with the king's mark before sale. The mark chosen, a leopard's head, gave the practice its modern English name: the piece is hallmarked because it was marked at the Hall.
For a charity shop the practical headline is this: a leopard's head, in any of its variants, is the London Assay Office identifier, and it tells the volunteer which office tested the piece. It does not on its own tell you the metal or the date. Those sit in the marks next to it.
The leopard's-head variants over the centuries
The leopard has changed shape several times. A volunteer does not need to know every engraving, but recognising the three broad eras helps a manager date a piece roughly before any further reading.
| Era | Variant | How it looks on the piece |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1822 | Crowned leopard | Full-face leopard wearing a small crown on top of its head, often inside an oval or shield outline. |
| 1822 to 1844 | Uncrowned leopard, full-faced | The crown was dropped in 1822. The head remained but lost the top decoration. |
| Post-1844 | Plain uncrowned leopard | Simplified outline, no crown, the standard modern form. Still in use today. |
A crowned leopard's head on a piece in the donation stream is a strong signal of pre-1822 manufacture, which on a piece of silver hollowware or a gold ring can lift the donation well above metal-melt value. The shop should set the piece aside and send a clear photo on WhatsApp 07944 014111 before any decision is made.
Why London hallmarks cluster in southern England
Jewellers in London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and the south-east historically sent work to the London office for assay because it was the nearest office. A charity shop in Brighton, Tunbridge Wells, Guildford or central London will see a markedly higher proportion of leopard's-head marks than a shop in, for example, Wolverhampton or Newcastle. This is a statistical pattern rather than a rule, but it is one a sorting team can use.
A shop in the Midlands will see more Birmingham anchors, a shop in Yorkshire will see more Sheffield roses, and a shop in Scotland will see more Edinburgh castles. None of this changes the metal value of the piece. It does, however, change the rough frequency of what a volunteer should expect to find. A leopard's head in a Sussex donation pile is unremarkable. A crowned leopard's head in any pile is worth a second look.
The four marks together: what to read alongside the leopard
A full UK hallmark has four marks read together, not one. On a London-assayed piece, the leopard's head is only the assay-office mark. The other three marks tell the volunteer what the piece is.
- Maker's mark (sponsor's mark). Initials of the maker or sponsor, in a small shield. Usually stamped first, on the left of the mark line.
- Standard mark (fineness). The lion passant on silver, the millesimal number on gold (375, 585, 750, 916). This is the mark that tells you what the metal actually is.
- Assay-office mark. The leopard's head for London. Anchor for Birmingham, rose for Sheffield, castle for Edinburgh.
- Date letter. A single letter in a shaped shield, telling you the calendar year of assay.
A volunteer who can spot all four marks together can sort a pile in minutes. A volunteer who can read the date letter can flag a Georgian or Victorian piece before it goes to the floor. A short cross-reference to the umbrella hallmark guide is the right next step once the leopard's head is identified.
The date-letter cycle
Each UK assay office runs its own alphabet of date letters. A new letter is used each year, and after twenty or so letters the office starts a new cycle in a different font and a different shield shape. London's cycles run twenty years, A to U with J omitted, although the exact dates vary because some letters were skipped. The combination of letter, font and shield outline is what fixes the year. Two dates simplify modern pieces. From 1 January 1975 every UK office has used the same date letter in the same year, so a post-1975 letter reads identically whether it sits beside a leopard, an anchor, a rose or a castle. And since 1999 the date letter has been optional, so a recent piece with no date letter at all is not suspicious; the maker simply chose the three compulsory marks.
A charity shop volunteer is not expected to memorise every cycle. The practical workflow is simpler: identify the letter, then send a clear photograph on WhatsApp 07944 014111. We can read the cycle from the image. The reason this matters is that a Georgian or early-Victorian London-assayed piece can be worth several multiples of its metal value, and a quick check before any cleaning or pricing protects the donation.
The 1973 fineness stamp
Until 1975 the carat of UK gold was expressed in a quartered shield with the carat number and a separate fineness number. From 1 January 1975, the three-digit millesimal number (375, 585, 750, 916) became the primary fineness stamp on UK gold, and the carat number was dropped in favour of the millesimal alone. This change followed the 1973 Hallmarking Act.
For a volunteer this means the modern stamp on a London-assayed gold ring is the millesimal number plus the leopard's head plus the date letter plus the maker's mark. The older convention is easy to recognise once seen: a mid-century 9ct ring typically reads '9' and '.375' side by side in two joined shields, while a post-1975 ring carries '375' alone in a single outline. A piece with the doubled carat-and-fineness stamp, or any quartered-shield arrangement, is likely to be pre-1975. That is not a problem for valuation, but it does help with rough dating.
How a London hallmark looks on different items
The leopard's head turns up in different positions depending on what the piece is.
- Rings. Inside the band, usually next to the maker's mark and the fineness number.
- Chains and necklaces. On or near the clasp, often on a small soldered tag rather than the chain itself.
- Earrings. On the post or the back of the setting. Smaller marks, often partly worn.
- Brooches. On the back, near the pin mechanism. Larger marks, often very clear.
- Cutlery and hollowware. On the back of a spoon or fork stem, or on the base of a tankard or candlestick. Often the most complete set of marks you will see.
- Pocket-watches and watch cases. Inside the case back, sometimes alongside the case-maker mark and an English movement-maker mark.
When the leopard's head is the only mark visible
On worn, repaired or partially polished pieces a volunteer may see only one or two marks clearly. If the leopard's head is visible but the fineness number is not, the piece is still worth setting aside. The leopard's head alone confirms that the piece was assayed by the London office, and the fineness can usually be inferred once the piece is XRF-tested on arrival. Two tricks help at the sorting table. Tilt the piece under a desk lamp so the light rakes across the surface at a low angle; a mark invisible face-on will often jump out in relief. And use a 10x jeweller's loupe rather than a household magnifying glass; the extra magnification is usually the difference between a smudge and a readable letter.
If only the maker's mark and the leopard's head are visible, that is also a useful pair. The maker's mark can sometimes be cross-referenced to a known sponsor, which dates the piece roughly even without the date letter. Send a clear photograph on WhatsApp 07944 014111 before posting and we will read the marks together.
What happens after a London-hallmarked piece is set aside
When a London-assayed piece is in the gold-pile bag, the shop manager (or head-office contact for a multi-shop charity) sends a photo on WhatsApp or phone 07944 014111. We give an indicative figure on the day and send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery prepaid label, usually within 30 minutes during working hours. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used, and higher cover can be arranged on request before posting. The shop posts the parcel at any Post Office counter and keeps the receipt.
On arrival, each item is XRF-tested for purity, weighed on calibrated scales, and priced against the LBMA benchmark on the day of valuation. The hallmark guides the sorting; the XRF assay sets the offer. A written itemised offer goes back to the charity's head-office contact. If accepted, payment is sent to the charity's registered bank account by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market. If declined, every item is returned, free, tracked and signed for.
A 60-second briefing for a volunteer
If a new volunteer is joining the sorting table, this is the briefing that gets them useful on London-hallmarked pieces in a minute.
- 1. Look for a small leopard. Full-face animal, often inside an oval or shield. Crowned (pre-1822) or plain (post-1822).
- 2. Find the metal stamp. 375, 585, 750 or 916 on gold; lion passant on silver. This tells you the metal.
- 3. Note the date letter. A single letter in a shaped shield. Do not polish before checking it.
- 4. Bag and tag. Set the piece aside in the gold or silver bag. Do not put it on the floor.
- 5. Photo before posting. A clear close-up on WhatsApp 07944 014111 for an indicative read.
Common questions
What does the leopard's head on a UK hallmark mean?
It is the assay-office mark for London. It confirms that the piece was tested and stamped by the London Assay Office at Goldsmiths' Hall. It does not, on its own, tell you the metal or the date.
How can I tell a crowned leopard from a plain one?
A crowned leopard has a small crown on top of its head and indicates pre-1822 assay. A plain leopard, no crown, indicates 1822 onwards. The shape changed again in 1844 to the simplified modern form.
Are London hallmarks more valuable than Birmingham or Sheffield hallmarks?
No. The metal value is the same regardless of which office stamped the piece. London marks can carry an antique premium when the piece is genuinely old, but on modern pieces the office of assay does not change the metal value.
The leopard's head looks worn and the date letter is unreadable. Is the piece still worth posting?
Yes. If any one of the four marks is still legible and the piece is gold or silver, it can still be valued. Send a clear photo on WhatsApp 07944 014111 before posting and we will read what is there.
Should we polish a London-hallmarked piece before sending it?
No. Polishing can erase a worn date letter or maker mark, and a worn but legible mark today may be illegible after one pass with polish. Send the piece as it is.
Is a Georgian London-hallmarked piece worth more than its metal value?
It can be. A genuinely old, well-marked Georgian or early-Victorian piece carries an antique premium above the metal-melt figure. We will flag this on the indicative reading; indicative figures move with the market and the firm offer is set only after the piece is inspected.
What if we change our mind once we see the written offer?
Free tracked return of any item the charity chooses not to sell. No fees, no pressure, no part-accept clauses.
Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label
Tell us where to send it. 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.
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.