Sheffield hallmark date letter “M”: which year?

The letter M on a Sheffield hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1802–1803 (uppercase roman); 1834–1835 (lowercase roman); 1855–1856 (uppercase roman); 1879–1880 (uppercase sans-serif); 1904–1905 (lowercase gothic); 1929–1930 (lowercase roman); 1954–1955 (uppercase roman); 1986 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2011 (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 M at Sheffield

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1802–1803	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle	Arbitrary order.
1834–1835	lowercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1855–1856	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1879–1880	uppercase sans-serif	Sheffield cycle
1904–1905	lowercase gothic	Sheffield cycle
1929–1930	lowercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1954–1955	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1986	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2011	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 M at other offices: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Chester, Glasgow.

All Sheffield cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter M on a Sheffield hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1802–1803 (uppercase roman); 1834–1835 (lowercase roman); 1855–1856 (uppercase roman); 1879–1880 (uppercase sans-serif); 1904–1905 (lowercase gothic); 1929–1930 (lowercase roman); 1954–1955 (uppercase roman); 1986 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2011 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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