Birmingham hallmark date letters
Short answer
Birmingham date letters cover 1773 to 2026. Before 1975 a letter marks the year from July to July; the cycles below give each letter's year by its shape (case and typeface).
Birmingham: cycles before 1975
| Years | Letters in order | Style | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1773–1798 | ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase roman | |
| 1798–1824 | abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz | lowercase roman | |
| 1824–1849 | ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase gothic | |
| 1849–1875 | ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase roman | |
| 1875–1900 | abcdefghiklmnopqrstuvwxyz | lowercase gothic | |
| 1900–1925 | abcdefghiklmnopqrstuvwxyz | lowercase roman | |
| 1925–1950 | ABCDEFGHJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase roman | |
| 1950–1975 | ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase cursive |
Since 1975: one cycle for all offices
From 1975 every UK assay office uses the same annual letter sequence, so the letter no longer says where the piece was assayed. The year now changes on 1 January.
| From | Letters | Style | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase roman | |
| 2000 | abcdefghjklmnopqrstuvwxyz | lowercase roman | |
| 2025 | AB | uppercase roman | Current cycle (2025 A, 2026 B). |
Look up one letter
Other offices
Frequently asked
How do I read a Birmingham hallmark date letter?
Find the letter's shape (case and typeface) in the cycle tables for Birmingham. Each cycle runs 25 letters or fewer, one per year, and the letter changes in July each year before 1975.
What years does the Birmingham date-letter table cover?
1773 to 2026.
Sources
- Silver Makers' Marks, date-letter tables by assay office
- The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office, History of hallmarking
- Assay Office Birmingham, timeline
- Sheffield Assay Office, history
- Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 2 (revised text)
All sources are listed with the method on the sources page.