Sheffield hallmark date letter “W”: which year?

The letter W on a Sheffield hallmark can be any of these years, depending on its case and typeface: 1814–1815 (uppercase roman); 1864–1865 (uppercase roman); 1889–1890 (uppercase sans-serif); 1914–1915 (lowercase gothic); 1939–1940 (lowercase roman); 1964–1965 (uppercase roman); 1996 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2021 (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 W at Sheffield

Years	Letter style	Cycle	Note
1814–1815	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle	Arbitrary order.
1864–1865	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1889–1890	uppercase sans-serif	Sheffield cycle
1914–1915	lowercase gothic	Sheffield cycle
1939–1940	lowercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1964–1965	uppercase roman	Sheffield cycle
1996	uppercase roman	All UK offices, from 1975
2021	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 W at other offices: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Chester, Glasgow.

All Sheffield cycles

Frequently asked

What year is the letter W on a Sheffield hallmark?

It depends on the shape of the letter: 1814–1815 (uppercase roman); 1864–1865 (uppercase roman); 1889–1890 (uppercase sans-serif); 1914–1915 (lowercase gothic); 1939–1940 (lowercase roman); 1964–1965 (uppercase roman); 1996 (uppercase roman, unified cycle); 2021 (lowercase roman, unified cycle).

Sources

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