Hallmarking data

UK Hallmarking Statistics, 2001 to 2025

The four UK assay offices hallmarked 7,757,000 items in 2024, according to the British Hallmarking Council: about 22% of the 35,245,000 marked in the peak year of 2003. Gold fell from 19.4 million items in 2005 to 3.5 million in 2024, and silver has outnumbered gold every year since 2017.

Every published total in one series, by year, metal and gold fineness, with the source for each figure.

Compiled by Faustas Svencionis, Mozeris Fine Antiques, Mayfair and Braintree, since 2015 · Updated October 2026

Hallmark on a Victorian 18 carat gold Albert chain: a crown beside the number 18 and the sponsor's mark M&M, struck on a gold bar
Crown and 18 on a Victorian 18KT gold Albert chain from our archive, the British mark for 18 carat gold before 1975. Photo: Mozeris Fine Antiques.

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Key figures

  • Down 78% from the peak. 35,245,000 items in 2003; 7,757,000 in 2024 (BHC).
  • 2020 was the lowest year. 5,879,000 items, with only 519,000 in the second quarter.
  • 9 carat leads gold. 59.5% of gold items in 2023, down from 70.7% in 2015; 14 carat nearly tripled.
  • Sources differ slightly. 2023 has three published totals, shown side by side below.

How many items does the UK hallmark a year?

In 2024 the four UK assay offices hallmarked 7,757,000 items, the British Hallmarking Council reports. That is 78% below the 2003 peak of 35,245,000 and the second lowest year in the series after 2020.

Items hallmarked by the UK assay offices each year, 2001 to 2025Bar chart. 34.8 million in 2001 and a peak of 35.2 million in 2003, falling to 7.8 million in 2024. Lowest year 2020 at 5.9 million. No published total for 2002, 2004 or 2025. The full figures are in the table below.010m20m30m40m2001: 34,800,000 items (Chair's statement)20012002: no published total2003: 35,245,000 items (Chair's statement)2004: no published total2005: 28,767,000 items20052006: 24,890,000 items2007: 25,410,000 items2008: 18,950,000 items2009: 16,158,000 items2010: 14,870,000 items20102011: 10,862,000 items2012: 9,323,000 items2013: 9,156,000 items2014: 10,452,000 items2015: 10,564,000 items20152016: 9,751,000 items2017: 9,336,000 items2018: 9,114,000 items2019: 8,527,000 items2020: 5,879,000 items20202021: 8,676,000 items2022: 9,748,000 items2023: 8,018,000 items2024: 7,757,000 items2025: no published total202535.2m7.8mBHC annual report tableChair's statement
Items hallmarked by all UK assay offices. Sources: BHC annual reports; 2001 and 2003 from the Chair's statements. Dashes mark years with no published total.

Every gold, silver, platinum and palladium article sold in the UK above the legal weight exemptions must carry a hallmark from one of four assay offices: London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh. Their combined count is the number of new articles submitted for hallmarking in that year.

  • 2001 to 2003: 34.8 million items in 2001 and 35,245,000 in 2003, the highest figure the British Hallmarking Council has published.
  • 2005 to 2008: from 28,767,000 to 18,950,000.
  • 2011 to 2019: between 8.5 and 10.9 million items a year.
  • 2020: 5,879,000 items, a fall of 32.2% (Assay Office London).
  • 2021 to 2024: 8,676,000, then 9,748,000, 8,018,000 and 7,757,000.

Sources: BHC annual report 2010 (9 May 2011); BHC annual report 2024 (11 June 2025); BHC annual report 2008 (1 June 2009); Assay Office London, figures for 2020 (25 January 2021); BHC annual report 2023 (7 October 2024); Hallmarking Act 1973.

The full table, 2001 to 2025

Table 1 lists every year from 2001, with a gap where no total was published. The BHC column is the council's own annual table, in thousands; the second column is the exact count where an assay office or the trade press published one.

Table 1. Items hallmarked by all UK assay offices, 2001 to 2025
YearBHC total (thousands)Exact count published
2001a34,800
2002bnot published
2003a35,245
2004bnot published
200528,767
200624,890
200725,410
2008c18,950
2009c16,158
201014,870
2011c10,862
20129,323
20139,156
201410,452
2015d10,56410,720,141
20169,7519,748,033
20179,3369,335,729
20189,1149,113,477
2019e8,5278,736,610
20205,8795,879,162
2021e8,6768,687,131
20229,7489,748,288
2023f8,0188,020,089 / 8,031,340
2024f7,7577,763,014
2025bnot published

Notes, gaps and differences

  1. a2001 and 2003 come from the Chair's statements, not an annual table: 34.8 million in 2001 (BHC report 2024, rounded) and 35,245,000 in 2003 (BHC reports 2010 and 2011).
  2. bNo published all-office total found for 2002 or 2004. Full-year 2025 is not yet published: the latest BHC report on GOV.UK covers 2024. Monthly 2025 figures appear in trade press: Jewellery Focus reported 502,620 items for January 2025, down 18.8%.
  3. cLater reports restate some years: 2008 is 18,939 in the 2009 report, 2009 is 16,113 in the 2010 report and 2011 is 10,744 in the 2012 report. The 2010 Chairman's report gives 14,926,518 for 2010 against 14,870 thousand in its table. The table here uses each year's own report.
  4. dAssay Office London's 2015 release gives 10,720,141 articles sent for hallmarking in its headline, but its metal totals add up to 10,495,355. Its 2016 fall of 7.1% is measured against the lower figure.
  5. eAssay Office London gives 8,736,610 for 2019 and 8,687,131 for 2021; the BHC tables give 8,527 and 8,676 thousand. Neither source explains the difference.
  6. f2023 has three published totals: 8,020,089 (Assay Office London), 8,018 thousand (BHC) and 8,031,340 (Jewellery Focus, with 3,521,940 gold and 4,148,853 silver). For 2024 Jewellery Focus gives 7,763,014 and the BHC 7,757 thousand. Both pairs show a fall of 3.3% from 2023 to 2024.

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Sources: British Hallmarking Council annual reports, Appendix 2, 2006 to 2024, via GOV.UK; Assay Office London annual figures 2015 to 2023; Jewellery Focus. Each year's source is listed in the method section below.

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By metal: gold, silver, platinum and palladium

Gold made up two thirds of all hallmarked items in 2005 and 45% in 2024. Silver passed gold in 2009 for the first time in many years and has stayed ahead every year since 2017.

Gold and silver items hallmarked in the UK each year, 2005 to 2024Line chart. Gold fell from 19.4 million items in 2005 to 3.5 million in 2024. Silver moved between 2.9 and 9.2 million and has been ahead of gold every year since 2017. Figures in the table below.05m10m15m20m20052010201520202024Silver 2005: 9,008,000Silver 2006: 7,893,000Silver 2007: 9,196,000Silver 2008: 8,327,000Silver 2009: 8,782,000Silver 2010: 8,625,000Silver 2011: 6,071,000Silver 2012: 4,811,000Silver 2013: 4,689,000Silver 2014: 5,027,000Silver 2015: 4,966,000Silver 2016: 4,518,000Silver 2017: 4,934,000Silver 2018: 4,640,000Silver 2019: 4,310,000Silver 2020: 2,862,000Silver 2021: 4,471,000Silver 2022: 5,345,000Silver 2023: 4,145,000Silver 2024: 3,942,000Gold 2005: 19,436,000Gold 2006: 16,681,000Gold 2007: 15,871,000Gold 2008: 10,332,000Gold 2009: 7,065,000Gold 2010: 5,871,000Gold 2011: 4,445,000Gold 2012: 4,146,000Gold 2013: 4,099,000Gold 2014: 5,060,000Gold 2015: 5,220,000Gold 2016: 4,840,000Gold 2017: 4,036,000Gold 2018: 4,113,000Gold 2019: 3,869,000Gold 2020: 2,758,000Gold 2021: 3,860,000Gold 2022: 4,013,000Gold 2023: 3,515,000Gold 2024: 3,458,000GoldSilverGoldSilver
Gold and silver items hallmarked, all UK offices. Source: BHC annual reports 2006 to 2024.
Table 2. Items hallmarked by metal, all UK offices, 2005 to 2024. Palladium was first hallmarked in 2009
YearGold (k)Silver (k)PlatinumPalladium
200519,4369,008323,447
200616,6817,893315,790
200715,8719,196342,755
200810,3328,327289,5600
20097,0658,782266,07145,304
20105,8718,625267,065107,322
20114,4456,071238,770106,759
20124,1464,811241,062125,389
20134,0994,689257,565111,020
20145,0605,027257,607107,235
20155,2204,966279,88898,327
20164,8404,518288,392105,775
20174,0364,934282,43783,668
20184,1134,640297,52361,742
20193,8694,310317,38230,619
20202,7582,862251,9727,129
20213,8604,471341,9804,423
20224,0135,345386,2643,938
20233,5154,145354,7434,069
20243,4583,942353,6573,064
  • Gold: 19,436,000 items in 2005, 3,458,000 in 2024.
  • Silver: ahead of gold in 13 of the 20 years from 2005, including every year from 2017. Sterling (925) was 4,087,007 of 4,144,620 silver items in 2023.
  • Platinum: the steadiest metal, between 238,770 and 386,264 items a year since 2005.
  • Palladium: first hallmarked in 2009 (45,304 items), with 125,389 in 2012 and 3,064 in 2024.

Palladium hallmarking began in 2009 and became compulsory on 1 January 2010; our platinum hallmarks guide covers both white metals. The 2009 to 2010 Goldsmiths' Review recorded that more silver than gold was hallmarked in 2009 for the first time in many years.

Sources: BHC annual report 2006 (published 21 June 2007); BHC annual report 2009 (28 June 2010); BHC annual report 2012 (12 July 2013); BHC annual report 2024 (11 June 2025); Assay Office London, figures for 2023 (15 January 2024); Birmingham Assay Office, our story; Goldsmiths' Review 2009 to 2010, Assay Office report.

Gold by fineness: why 9 carat dominates

9 carat (375) is the most hallmarked gold in the UK: 2,090,529 of 3,515,075 gold items in 2023, or 59.5%. Its share has fallen from 70.7% in 2015 as 14 and 22 carat have grown.

UK gold hallmarking by fineness, share of gold items, 2015 to 2023Stacked percentage bars. 9 carat fell from 70.7% of gold items in 2015 to 59.5% in 2023, while 14 carat rose from 1.9% to 8.1%. Counts in the table below.0%25%50%75%100%2015, 9ct (375): 3,642,448 items, 70.7%2015, 14ct (585): 97,618 items, 1.9%2015, 18ct (750): 896,952 items, 17.4%2015, 22ct and 24ct: 513,186 items, 10.0%20152016, 9ct (375): 3,425,213 items, 70.7%2016, 14ct (585): 106,272 items, 2.2%2016, 18ct (750): 862,509 items, 17.8%2016, 22ct and 24ct: 448,768 items, 9.3%2017, 9ct (375): 2,658,054 items, 65.9%2017, 14ct (585): 134,962 items, 3.3%2017, 18ct (750): 806,185 items, 20.0%2017, 22ct and 24ct: 437,067 items, 10.8%20172018, 9ct (375): 2,698,853 items, 65.6%2018, 14ct (585): 163,777 items, 4.0%2018, 18ct (750): 828,999 items, 20.2%2018, 22ct and 24ct: 422,014 items, 10.3%2019, 9ct (375): 2,577,886 items, 64.9%2019, 14ct (585): 181,757 items, 4.6%2019, 18ct (750): 842,540 items, 21.2%2019, 22ct and 24ct: 372,377 items, 9.4%20192020, 9ct (375): 1,866,294 items, 67.7%2020, 14ct (585): 142,863 items, 5.2%2020, 18ct (750): 530,927 items, 19.3%2020, 22ct and 24ct: 217,756 items, 7.9%2021, 9ct (375): 2,566,235 items, 66.5%2021, 14ct (585): 196,517 items, 5.1%2021, 18ct (750): 746,369 items, 19.3%2021, 22ct and 24ct: 351,256 items, 9.1%20212022, 9ct (375): 2,509,491 items, 62.5%2022, 14ct (585): 276,915 items, 6.9%2022, 18ct (750): 785,370 items, 19.6%2022, 22ct and 24ct: 440,369 items, 11.0%2023, 9ct (375): 2,090,529 items, 59.5%2023, 14ct (585): 285,358 items, 8.1%2023, 18ct (750): 674,173 items, 19.2%2023, 22ct and 24ct: 465,015 items, 13.2%20239ct 59%14ct 8%18ct 19%22ct+ 13%Share of gold items hallmarked, all UK offices
Share of gold items by fineness; 22ct+ is 22 and 24 carat together. Source: Assay Office London annual figures 2015 to 2023.
Table 3. Gold items hallmarked by fineness, all UK offices, 2015 to 2023
Year9ct (375)14ct (585)18ct (750)22ct (916)24ct (990, 999)9ct share
20153,642,44897,618896,952512,27091670.7%
20163,425,213106,272862,509447,83093870.7%
20172,658,054134,962806,185436,58248565.9%
20182,698,853163,777828,999421,17583965.6%
20192,577,886181,757842,540370,4711,90664.9%
20201,866,294142,863530,927216,5271,22967.7%
20212,566,235196,517746,369350,0271,22966.5%
20222,509,491276,915785,370432,0638,30662.5%
20232,090,529285,358674,173454,61910,39659.5%
  • 9 carat (375): 3,642,448 items in 2015, 2,090,529 in 2023.
  • 14 carat (585): 97,618 in 2015, 285,358 in 2023, nearly three times as many.
  • 18 carat (750): between 674,173 and 896,952 in every year except 2020.
  • 22 carat (916): 454,619 in 2023, up 5.2% while total gold fell 12.4%.
  • 24 carat (990 and 999): 10,396 in 2023, up from 916 in 2015.
A modern British hallmark inside a gold ring: sponsor S&D, a crown, the number 750, the Birmingham anchor and a date letter
S&D, crown, 750, Birmingham anchor and date letter inside an 18KT ring. Photo: Mozeris Fine Antiques.
White gold Mikimoto pearl necklace clasp stamped MIKIMOTO 750, with a British hallmark including a crown and 750
A Mikimoto clasp with MIKIMOTO 750 and a British hallmark with the crown and 750. Photo: Mozeris Fine Antiques.

Since 1975 British gold hallmarks show the fineness as a number in parts per thousand beside a crown. Our gold hallmarks and stamps decoded guide reads each mark, and how to date antique jewellery shows how the carat marks themselves date a piece.

Sources: Assay Office London, figures for 2015 (31 January 2016); Assay Office London, figures for 2023 (15 January 2024); Hallmarking Act 1973.

What moves the numbers

The assay offices and the British Hallmarking Council name the same causes year after year: the economy, the price of the metals, the 2020 lockdowns and, since 2021, trade with the EU and online sales.

  • 2008: "economic conditions generally went from bad to worse", and the total fell from about 25.4 million to 18.95 million (BHC report 2008).
  • 2010 and 2011: the very high price of gold depressed sales of new jewellery; gold items fell about 23% in 2011 and silver about 29% as the silver price also rose (BHC reports 2010 and 2011).
  • 2020: the year of the first lockdowns. The second quarter of 2020 saw 519,000 items, against 1,924,000 a year earlier (BHC report 2020).
  • 2021: the rebound, up 47.7% to 8,687,131 (Assay Office London).
  • 2024: the BHC names EU customs checks on UK exports since 2021, cost of living pressures and unregulated online sales from supply chains outside the UK.

The figures count items, not weight, so a single chain link and a heavy silver tray each count once.

Sources: BHC annual report 2008 (1 June 2009); BHC annual report 2010 (9 May 2011); BHC annual report 2011 (11 June 2012); BHC annual report 2020 (15 July 2021); Assay Office London, figures for 2021 (4 February 2022); BHC annual report 2024 (11 June 2025).

The four assay offices behind the figures

London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh are the UK's four assay offices. In 2023 Edinburgh marked the most items overall, 31.2%, because it marked 52.1% of all silver; London marked the most gold, 33.8%.

Goldsmiths' Hall on Foster Lane in the City of London, home of the Assay Office London, a stone building with tall columns
Goldsmiths' Hall, Foster Lane, home of the Assay Office London. Photo: Matt Brown, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
  • London: 24.6% of all items, 33.8% of gold, 41.0% of platinum.
  • Birmingham: 24.2% of all items, 29.3% of gold, 39.4% of platinum.
  • Sheffield: 20.0% of all items, 27.7% of gold.
  • Edinburgh: 31.2% of all items, 52.1% of silver, 9.2% of gold.
The red brick Birmingham Assay Office building on Newhall Street in the Jewellery Quarter, photographed in 2013
The Birmingham Assay Office building on Newhall Street, Jewellery Quarter, in 2013. Photo: John M, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Sheffield Assay Office building on Beulah Road, Hillsborough, with stone and blue cladding, photographed in 2010
Sheffield Assay Office, Beulah Road, Hillsborough, in 2010. Photo: Terry Robinson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Our assay offices guide covers every British office, open and closed, and how to read its town mark. For silver, see how to read silver hallmarks.

Sources: BHC annual report 2023 (7 October 2024).

What this means if you own British gold or silver

A British hallmark records the metal, its fineness, the assay office and usually the year, so hallmarked gold and silver can be identified quickly and with confidence.

Every piece is different, so we value each one individually. Send us a few photos and we will tell you what yours is worth, free and with no obligation.

Not sure whether a mark is a hallmark? Our guide to hallmarks and maker's marks explains the difference. If the piece came to you with other jewellery, read inherited jewellery: what to do, and see sell your gold jewellery.

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Method and sources

Each annual total is taken from the British Hallmarking Council's own table for that year; exact counts are added where an assay office or the trade press published them, and every difference is noted rather than smoothed over.

  • What is counted: articles dealt with by all UK assay offices, by calendar year. The BHC publishes all, gold and silver articles in thousands, and platinum and palladium as single items.
  • Which report: the report for that year. Later restatements are listed in note c.
  • Before 2005: no BHC table for 2001 to 2004 is published online, so 2001 and 2003 come from the Chair's statements and 2002 and 2004 are left empty.
  • Gold by fineness: only published by fineness in the Assay Office London releases, so Table 3 covers 2015 to 2023.
  • Not used: figures we could not trace to an assay office or the BHC.

How to cite this data

Mozeris Fine Antiques, "UK Hallmarking Statistics, 2001 to 2025", compiled from British Hallmarking Council and Assay Office London figures, updated October 2026, https://www.mozerisfineantiques.com/uk-hallmarking-statistics

Sources by year

Spotted a figure we have missed? Corrections are welcome through our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

How many items are hallmarked in the UK each year?

7,757,000 items were hallmarked by the four UK assay offices in 2024, according to the British Hallmarking Council. The figure was 8,018,000 in 2023 and 9,748,000 in 2022.

When did UK hallmarking peak?

In 2003, with 35,245,000 items, the peak named in the British Hallmarking Council's reports. The 2024 report gives 34.8 million for 2001.

Why has the number of hallmarked items fallen?

The council's reports name the 2008 downturn, the high price of gold in 2010 and 2011, the 2020 lockdowns and, since 2021, EU customs checks, cost of living pressures and unregulated online sales from outside the UK.

Which carat of gold is hallmarked most in the UK?

9 carat. In 2023 it was 2,090,529 of the 3,515,075 gold items hallmarked, or 59.5%, according to the Assay Office London figures.

Is more silver or gold hallmarked in the UK?

Silver. It has outnumbered gold every year since 2017; in 2024 the BHC counted 3,942,000 silver items and 3,458,000 gold.

Why do sources give different totals for the same year?

The British Hallmarking Council publishes its own table in thousands, while Assay Office London and the trade press publish unit counts compiled at different times. For 2023 they give 8,018,000, 8,020,089 and 8,031,340.

When did palladium hallmarking start in the UK?

Palladium was first hallmarked in 2009, when 45,304 items were marked, and hallmarking became compulsory on 1 January 2010.

Can you value my hallmarked gold or silver?

Yes. Send us photos of the piece and its hallmark and we will reply by email with a free, no-obligation valuation. You can also visit us in Mayfair by appointment or in Braintree.

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