Sheffield Date Letters

Sheffield date letters from 1773 to 1974, and the UK letters used since 1975. Type the letter on your piece to see every year it could be, then match its shape and shield in the tables.

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Sheffield hallmarks for 1807 on a George III silver stirrup cup, with the sovereign's head duty mark and the maker's mark of Henry Tudor and Thomas Leader
Sheffield hallmarks for 1807 on a George III silver stirrup cup, with the sovereign's head duty mark and the maker's mark of Henry Tudor and Thomas Leader. Photographed by us.

1773 to 1798

Old English (black-letter) capitals · square/oblong punch

Letters chosen out of order by the guardians (E for the Earl of Effingham). First twelve Old English capitals, then y and k small, five capitals, u o m q small, and Roman Z X V. From 1780 the crown and letter are sometimes combined in one punch (1780-81 crowned T). The 1782-83 letter is an Old English G in Jackson (1921); silvermakersmarks.co.uk files it as C. Same punch, different reading.

  1. E1773-74
  2. F1774-75
  3. N1775-76
  4. R1776-77
  5. H1777-78
  6. S1778-79
  7. A1779-80
  8. T1780-81
  9. D1781-82
  10. G1782-83
  11. B1783-84
  12. I1784-85
  13. y1785-86
  14. k1786-87
  15. T1787-88
  16. W1788-89
  17. M1789-90
  18. L1790-91
  19. P1791-92
  20. u1792-93
  21. o1793-94
  22. m1794-95
  23. q1795-96
  24. Z1796-97
  25. X1797-98
  26. V1798-99

1799 to 1823

Roman capitals · square/oblong punch

Still irregular order. Crown struck upside down 1815-19 to separate 1817 X from 1797 X.

  1. E1799-1800
  2. N1800-01
  3. H1801-02
  4. M1802-03
  5. F1803-04
  6. G1804-05
  7. B1805-06
  8. A1806-07
  9. S1807-08
  10. P1808-09
  11. K1809-10
  12. L1810-11
  13. C1811-12
  14. D1812-13
  15. R1813-14
  16. W1814-15
  17. O1815-16
  18. T1816-17
  19. X1817-18
  20. I1818-19
  21. V1819-20
  22. Q1820-21
  23. Y1821-22
  24. Z1822-23
  25. U1823-24

1824 to 1843

Roman small letters · oblong punch

Alphabetical but omits i, j, n, o, w and y.

  1. a1824-25
  2. b1825-26
  3. c1826-27
  4. d1827-28
  5. e1828-29
  6. f1829-30
  7. g1830-31
  8. h1831-32
  9. k1832-33
  10. l1833-34
  11. m1834-35
  12. p1835-36
  13. q1836-37
  14. r1837-38
  15. s1838-39
  16. t1839-40
  17. u1840-41
  18. v1841-42
  19. x1842-43
  20. z1843-44

1844 to 1867

Roman capitals · oblong with clipped corners

No J or Q. 1854-55 L is in a circular punch.

  1. A1844-45
  2. B1845-46
  3. C1846-47
  4. D1847-48
  5. E1848-49
  6. F1849-50
  7. G1850-51
  8. H1851-52
  9. I1852-53
  10. K1853-54
  11. L1854-55
  12. M1855-56
  13. N1856-57
  14. O1857-58
  15. P1858-59
  16. R1859-60
  17. S1860-61
  18. T1861-62
  19. U1862-63
  20. V1863-64
  21. W1864-65
  22. X1865-66
  23. Y1866-67
  24. Z1867-68

1868 to 1892

Roman capitals · oblong with truncated corners

Plain block capitals. I omitted, J used for 1876-77 (Chaffers wrongly printed I).

  1. A1868-69
  2. B1869-70
  3. C1870-71
  4. D1871-72
  5. E1872-73
  6. F1873-74
  7. G1874-75
  8. H1875-76
  9. J1876-77
  10. K1877-78
  11. L1878-79
  12. M1879-80
  13. N1880-81
  14. O1881-82
  15. P1882-83
  16. Q1883-84
  17. R1884-85
  18. S1885-86
  19. T1886-87
  20. U1887-88
  21. V1888-89
  22. W1889-90
  23. X1890-91
  24. Y1891-92
  25. Z1892-93

1893 to 1917

Old English (black-letter) small letters · oblong with clipped corners

Old English small letters, no j.

  1. a1893-94
  2. b1894-95
  3. c1895-96
  4. d1896-97
  5. e1897-98
  6. f1898-99
  7. g1899-1900
  8. h1900-01
  9. i1901-02
  10. k1902-03
  11. l1903-04
  12. m1904-05
  13. n1905-06
  14. o1906-07
  15. p1907-08
  16. q1908-09
  17. r1909-10
  18. s1910-11
  19. t1911-12
  20. u1912-13
  21. v1913-14
  22. w1914-15
  23. x1915-16
  24. y1916-17
  25. z1917-18

1918 to 1942

Roman small letters · shield with pointed base

No j.

  1. a1918-19
  2. b1919-20
  3. c1920-21
  4. d1921-22
  5. e1922-23
  6. f1923-24
  7. g1924-25
  8. h1925-26
  9. i1926-27
  10. k1927-28
  11. l1928-29
  12. m1929-30
  13. n1930-31
  14. o1931-32
  15. p1932-33
  16. q1933-34
  17. r1934-35
  18. s1935-36
  19. t1936-37
  20. u1937-38
  21. v1938-39
  22. w1939-40
  23. x1940-41
  24. y1941-42
  25. z1942-43

1943 to 1967

Roman capitals · shield with cut corners and pointed base

No J.

  1. A1943-44
  2. B1944-45
  3. C1945-46
  4. D1946-47
  5. E1947-48
  6. F1948-49
  7. G1949-50
  8. H1950-51
  9. I1951-52
  10. K1952-53
  11. L1953-54
  12. M1954-55
  13. N1955-56
  14. O1956-57
  15. P1957-58
  16. Q1958-59
  17. R1959-60
  18. S1960-61
  19. T1961-62
  20. U1962-63
  21. V1963-64
  22. W1964-65
  23. X1965-66
  24. Y1966-67
  25. Z1967-68

1968 to 1974

Court-hand small letters · shield

Mixed script/decorative capitals (F in Old English style). Cycle cut short by the 1975 unified UK letter; Sheffield town mark changed from crown to rose in 1975.

  1. A1968-69
  2. B1969-70
  3. C1970-71
  4. D1971-72
  5. E1972-73
  6. F1973-74
  7. G1974 (Jul-31 Dec)

Since 1975: one letter for every UK office

1 January each year, same letter at every UK assay office (London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh) since 1975; optional mark since 1999.

1975 to 1999

Script capitals · shield

No J. Optional jubilee mark 1977; millennium mark 1999-2000.

  1. A1975
  2. B1976
  3. C1977
  4. D1978
  5. E1979
  6. F1980
  7. G1981
  8. H1982
  9. I1983
  10. K1984
  11. L1985
  12. M1986
  13. N1987
  14. O1988
  15. P1989
  16. Q1990
  17. R1991
  18. S1992
  19. T1993
  20. U1994
  21. V1995
  22. W1996
  23. X1997
  24. Y1998
  25. Z1999

2000 to 2024

Roman small letters · shield

No i: j used for 2008 (Birmingham Assay Office). z = 2024 (London Assay Office).

  1. a2000
  2. b2001
  3. c2002
  4. d2003
  5. e2004
  6. f2005
  7. g2006
  8. h2007
  9. j2008
  10. k2009
  11. l2010
  12. m2011
  13. n2012
  14. o2013
  15. p2014
  16. q2015
  17. r2016
  18. s2017
  19. t2018
  20. u2019
  21. v2020
  22. w2021
  23. x2022
  24. y2023
  25. z2024

2025 to 2049

Roman capitals · shield

New serif capital series: A = 2025 (Sheffield Assay Office), B = 2026 (Birmingham Assay Office). Later years added as they are struck.

  1. A2025
  2. B2026

How to read a Sheffield hallmark

  • Crown, then roseThe Sheffield town mark is a crown until 1974 and a Yorkshire rose from 1975. Sheffield date letters from 1773 to 1824 do not run in alphabetical order.
  • Date letterOne letter for each assay year (change day at Sheffield: first Monday in July until 1974). Its case, letter style and shield all matter.
  • Maker's markThe initials of the maker or sponsor.

Marks recorded on Sheffield silver

  • A mark recorded on Sheffield silver of 1773-4, from Jackson (1921)1773-4Recorded on Sheffield silver
  • A mark recorded on Sheffield silver of 1784-5, from Jackson (1921)1784-5Recorded on Sheffield silver
  • A mark recorded on Sheffield silver of 1793-4, from Jackson (1921)1793-4Recorded on Sheffield silver
  • A mark recorded on Sheffield silver of 1800, from Jackson (1921)1800Recorded on Sheffield silver
  • A mark recorded on Sheffield silver of 1893-4, from Jackson (1921)1893-4Recorded on Sheffield silver
  • A mark recorded on Sheffield silver of 1901-2, from Jackson (1921)1901-2Recorded on Sheffield silver

Marks reproduced from Jackson, English Goldsmiths and their Marks (1921), one from each period. Date letters checked against Jackson, English Goldsmiths and their Marks (1921), and the assay office records.

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