Sheffield hallmark date letter “O”: which year?

The letter O on a Sheffield hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1815–1816 (uppercase roman); 1857–1858 (uppercase roman); 1881–1882 (uppercase sans-serif); 1906–1907 (lowercase gothic); 1931–1932 (lowercase roman); 1956–1957 (uppercase roman); 1988 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2013 (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 O at Sheffield

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1815–1816	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle	Arbitrary order.
1857–1858	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1881–1882	uppercase sans-serif	Sheffield cycle
1906–1907	lowercase gothic	Sheffield cycle
1931–1932	lowercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1956–1957	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1988	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2013	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 O at other offices: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Chester, Glasgow.

All Sheffield cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter O on a Sheffield hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1815–1816 (uppercase roman); 1857–1858 (uppercase roman); 1881–1882 (uppercase sans-serif); 1906–1907 (lowercase gothic); 1931–1932 (lowercase roman); 1956–1957 (uppercase roman); 1988 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2013 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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