Edinburgh hallmark date letter “O”: which year?

The letter O on a Edinburgh hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1820–1821 (lowercase roman); 1845–1846 (uppercase gothic); 1870–1871 (uppercase sans-serif); 1895–1896 (lowercase gothic); 1919–1920 (uppercase roman); 1944–1945 (uppercase cursive); 1969–1970 (uppercase gothic); 1988 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2013 (lowercase 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 O at Edinburgh

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1820–1821	lowercase roman	Edinburgh cycle
1845–1846	uppercase gothic	Edinburgh cycle
1870–1871	uppercase sans-serif	Edinburgh cycle
1895–1896	lowercase gothic	Edinburgh cycle
1919–1920	uppercase roman	Edinburgh cycle
1944–1945	uppercase cursive	Edinburgh cycle
1969–1970	uppercase gothic	Edinburgh cycle	The S covers 1973 and 1974.
1988	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2013	lowercase 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 O at other offices: London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Chester, Glasgow.

All Edinburgh cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter O on a Edinburgh hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1820–1821 (lowercase roman); 1845–1846 (uppercase gothic); 1870–1871 (uppercase sans-serif); 1895–1896 (lowercase gothic); 1919–1920 (uppercase roman); 1944–1945 (uppercase cursive); 1969–1970 (uppercase gothic); 1988 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2013 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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