Edinburgh hallmark date letters
Short answer
Edinburgh date letters cover 1806 to 2026. Before 1975 a letter marks the year from September to September; the cycles below give each letter's year by its shape (case and typeface).
Edinburgh: cycles before 1975
| Years | Letters in order | Style | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1806–1832 | abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz | lowercase roman | |
| 1832–1857 | ABCDEFGHJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase gothic | |
| 1857–1882 | ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase sans-serif | |
| 1882–1906 | abcdefghiklmnopqrstvwxyz | lowercase gothic | |
| 1906–1931 | ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase roman | |
| 1931–1956 | ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ | uppercase cursive | |
| 1956–1974 | ABCDEFGHIKLMNOPQRS | uppercase gothic | The S covers 1973 and 1974. |
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
London · Birmingham · Sheffield · Chester · Glasgow
Frequently asked
How do I read a Edinburgh hallmark date letter?
Find the letter's shape (case and typeface) in the cycle tables for Edinburgh. Each cycle runs 26 letters or fewer, one per year, and the letter changes in September each year before 1975.
What years does the Edinburgh date-letter table cover?
1806 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.