London hallmark date letter “F”: which year?

The letter F on a London hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1781–1782 (lowercase roman); 1801–1802 (uppercase roman); 1821–1822 (lowercase roman); 1841–1842 (uppercase gothic); 1861–1862 (lowercase gothic); 1881–1882 (uppercase roman); 1901–1902 (lowercase roman); 1921–1922 (lowercase gothic); 1941–1942 (uppercase sans-serif); 1961–1962 (lowercase cursive); 1980 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2005 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

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

Candidates for F at London

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1781–1782	lowercase roman	London cycle
1801–1802	uppercase roman	London cycle
1821–1822	lowercase roman	London cycle
1841–1842	uppercase gothic	London cycle
1861–1862	lowercase gothic	London cycle
1881–1882	uppercase roman	London cycle
1901–1902	lowercase roman	London cycle
1921–1922	lowercase gothic	London cycle
1941–1942	uppercase sans-serif	London cycle
1961–1962	lowercase cursive	London cycle	Short cycle: the t of 1974 ends on 31-12-1974.
1980	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2005	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 F at other offices: Birmingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Chester, Glasgow.

All London cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter F on a London hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1781–1782 (lowercase roman); 1801–1802 (uppercase roman); 1821–1822 (lowercase roman); 1841–1842 (uppercase gothic); 1861–1862 (lowercase gothic); 1881–1882 (uppercase roman); 1901–1902 (lowercase roman); 1921–1922 (lowercase gothic); 1941–1942 (uppercase sans-serif); 1961–1962 (lowercase cursive); 1980 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2005 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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