Edinburgh hallmark date letter “I”: which year?

The letter I on a Edinburgh hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1814–1815 (lowercase roman); 1865–1866 (uppercase sans-serif); 1890–1891 (lowercase gothic); 1914–1915 (uppercase roman); 1939–1940 (uppercase cursive); 1964–1965 (uppercase gothic); 1983 (uppercase roman, unified cycle).

Before 1975 the letter changes in September, so most letters span two calendar years. Compare the case and typeface with the table; the letter alone does not settle it.

Candidates for I at Edinburgh

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1814–1815	lowercase roman	Edinburgh cycle
1865–1866	uppercase sans-serif	Edinburgh cycle
1890–1891	lowercase gothic	Edinburgh cycle
1914–1915	uppercase roman	Edinburgh cycle
1939–1940	uppercase cursive	Edinburgh cycle
1964–1965	uppercase gothic	Edinburgh cycle	The S covers 1973 and 1974.
1983	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975

Narrowing it down

Other marks and features on the piece can rule candidates out: see dating jewelry by construction features and the other UK hallmarks.

The letter I at other offices: London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Chester, Glasgow.

All Edinburgh cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter I on a Edinburgh hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1814–1815 (lowercase roman); 1865–1866 (uppercase sans-serif); 1890–1891 (lowercase gothic); 1914–1915 (uppercase roman); 1939–1940 (uppercase cursive); 1964–1965 (uppercase gothic); 1983 (uppercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

All sources are listed with the method on the sources page.