Sheffield hallmark date letter “L”: which year?

The letter L on a Sheffield hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1810–1811 (uppercase roman); 1833–1834 (lowercase roman); 1854–1855 (uppercase roman); 1878–1879 (uppercase sans-serif); 1903–1904 (lowercase gothic); 1928–1929 (lowercase roman); 1953–1954 (uppercase roman); 1985 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2010 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

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

Candidates for L at Sheffield

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1810–1811	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle	Arbitrary order.
1833–1834	lowercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1854–1855	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1878–1879	uppercase sans-serif	Sheffield cycle
1903–1904	lowercase gothic	Sheffield cycle
1928–1929	lowercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1953–1954	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1985	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2010	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 L at other offices: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Chester, Glasgow.

All Sheffield cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter L on a Sheffield hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1810–1811 (uppercase roman); 1833–1834 (lowercase roman); 1854–1855 (uppercase roman); 1878–1879 (uppercase sans-serif); 1903–1904 (lowercase gothic); 1928–1929 (lowercase roman); 1953–1954 (uppercase roman); 1985 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2010 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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