Sheffield hallmark date letter “N”: which year?

The letter N on a Sheffield hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1800–1801 (uppercase roman); 1856–1857 (uppercase roman); 1880–1881 (uppercase sans-serif); 1905–1906 (lowercase gothic); 1930–1931 (lowercase roman); 1955–1956 (uppercase roman); 1987 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2012 (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 N at Sheffield

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1800–1801	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle	Arbitrary order.
1856–1857	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1880–1881	uppercase sans-serif	Sheffield cycle
1905–1906	lowercase gothic	Sheffield cycle
1930–1931	lowercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1955–1956	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1987	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2012	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 N at other offices: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Chester, Glasgow.

All Sheffield cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter N on a Sheffield hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1800–1801 (uppercase roman); 1856–1857 (uppercase roman); 1880–1881 (uppercase sans-serif); 1905–1906 (lowercase gothic); 1930–1931 (lowercase roman); 1955–1956 (uppercase roman); 1987 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2012 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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