London hallmark date letter “R”: which year?

The letter R on a London hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1792–1793 (lowercase roman); 1812–1813 (uppercase roman); 1832–1833 (lowercase roman); 1852–1853 (uppercase gothic); 1872–1873 (lowercase gothic); 1892–1893 (uppercase roman); 1912–1913 (lowercase roman); 1932–1933 (lowercase gothic); 1952–1953 (uppercase sans-serif); 1972–1973 (lowercase cursive); 1991 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2016 (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 R at London

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1792–1793	lowercase roman	London cycle
1812–1813	uppercase roman	London cycle
1832–1833	lowercase roman	London cycle
1852–1853	uppercase gothic	London cycle
1872–1873	lowercase gothic	London cycle
1892–1893	uppercase roman	London cycle
1912–1913	lowercase roman	London cycle
1932–1933	lowercase gothic	London cycle
1952–1953	uppercase sans-serif	London cycle
1972–1973	lowercase cursive	London cycle	Short cycle: the t of 1974 ends on 31-12-1974.
1991	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2016	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 R at other offices: Birmingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Chester, Glasgow.

All London cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter R on a London hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1792–1793 (lowercase roman); 1812–1813 (uppercase roman); 1832–1833 (lowercase roman); 1852–1853 (uppercase gothic); 1872–1873 (lowercase gothic); 1892–1893 (uppercase roman); 1912–1913 (lowercase roman); 1932–1933 (lowercase gothic); 1952–1953 (uppercase sans-serif); 1972–1973 (lowercase cursive); 1991 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2016 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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