Birmingham silver assay mark – I always wondered why the silver assay mark for Birmingham was the Anchor when it is in the Midlands and not near the sea. It is said that the silversmiths who founded the Birmingham and Sheffield assay office in 1773 used to drink in a pub called the crown and anchor, so when two new silver marks were needed they gave Sheffield the Crown and Birmingham the Anchor.
Tag Archives: antique silver hallmarks
Antique Silver Hallmarks Part I
The English hallmarking system can be traced back to 1300 when the guardians duty was to assay and mark every silver item before it was allowed into the outside world. Any item which is made from British sterling silver will usually bear at least four marks. These marks are the makers mark, the Sterling Standard mark, The Town assay mark and the Date letter. In 1554 the lion passant was adopted as the English silver standard mark, the standard silver mark for Scotland the Thistle for Edinburgh in 1759 and Lion Rampant for Glasgow in 1818. In 1975 Edinburgh also adopted the lion rampant.
