The Hallmarking Act of 1973 brought the remaining 4 British Assay Offices (London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh) into line with each other with the date letter now changing (from 1975) on 1 January each year. The crown town mark was replaced by a rose at this time.

When did Sheffield Assay Office close?

The Assay Office closed its doors in Sheffield 1 on Thursday 17th July and thanks to a massive, well planned operation they re-opened in Hillsborough just four days later on Monday 21st July, 2008.

What is Sheffield silver mark?

Sterling Silver Marks (left to right) F&S: Makers Mark (Fattorini & Sons) Crown: Mark for the city of Sheffield. Lion Passant: Certifies of sterling silver purity. Letter “o”: Year mark (1906)

Who owns Sheffield Assay Office?

Assay Office welcomes new Chairman Having recently bid farewell to Peter Hayes after a three year reign as Chairman of Sheffield Assay Office, the Executive Committee have now appointed Mr Charles Turner as his replacement.

How many assay offices are there in the UK?

4 Assay Offices The Assay Offices There are 4 Assay Offices in the UK: Birmingham Assay Office. Edinburgh Assay Office. London Assay Office.

Which Assay Office has a crown?

The 1773 Act had empowered Sheffield to use a Crown for its town mark. The story goes that this was because the Birmingham and Sheffield petitioners for the Act met at the Crown and Anchor, an inn situated off The Strand in London, and that each town adopted one of these signs as its mark.