Pennyweight.

Edinburgh hallmark date letter “Z”: which year?

The letter Z on a Edinburgh hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1831–1832 (lowercase roman); 1856–1857 (uppercase gothic); 1881–1882 (uppercase sans-serif); 1905–1906 (lowercase gothic); 1930–1931 (uppercase roman); 1955–1956 (uppercase cursive); 1999 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2024 (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 Z at Edinburgh

YearsLetter styleCycleNote
1831–1832lowercase romanEdinburgh cycle
1856–1857uppercase gothicEdinburgh cycle
1881–1882uppercase sans-serifEdinburgh cycle
1905–1906lowercase gothicEdinburgh cycle
1930–1931uppercase romanEdinburgh cycle
1955–1956uppercase cursiveEdinburgh cycle
1999uppercase romanAll UK offices, from 1975
2024lowercase romanAll 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 Z at other offices: London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Chester, Glasgow.

All Edinburgh cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter Z on a Edinburgh hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1831–1832 (lowercase roman); 1856–1857 (uppercase gothic); 1881–1882 (uppercase sans-serif); 1905–1906 (lowercase gothic); 1930–1931 (uppercase roman); 1955–1956 (uppercase cursive); 1999 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2024 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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