new law

[Army Vet]

Due to a new law just passed. Solid silver items with no hall mark can now, if the item was produced before 1950 legally be described as silver instead of white metal. Same law applies to gold. Army-vet.

[Peter Brydon]

Sorry if I am being thick but if an item has no hall mark, how do you know if it was made before 1950 .

Peter

[Rob Miller]

Probably the same way you can claim ivory or tortoise shell is pre something or other, you just say it is and someone has to prove otherwise if they disagree.

Rob

[mike_vee]

Here are the current rules from the Assay Office website :

Articles which should have been hallmarked when they were made, but bear no hallmark, are now treated as exempt if they were manufactured before a specific date. Since 1999, the date has been 1920, but the amended legislation alters this date to 1950. Therefore, any pre-1950 item may now be described and sold as precious metal, if the seller can prove that it is of minimum fineness and was manufactured before 1950.

6th April 2007 also sees another amendment to Hallmarking legislation in respect of items brought onto the market pre 1950.

Prior to this date it was not compulsory to hallmark all precious metal articles, and up until now unhallmarked items manufactured after 1920 could not legally be described as silver, gold or platinum.

The new amendment extends the exemption date to 1950 and allows these items to now be sold as gold, silver or platinum without a hallmark, so long as the seller can prove the fineness of the precious metal and that the item was manufactured before 1950.

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[49lassiepen]

Peter agree 100%
Mike Vee Many thanks for your post ,if all information was originally posted would have saved a lot of confusion

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by 49lassiepen

Mike Vee Many thanks for your post ,if all information was originally posted would have saved a lot of confusion

A couple of weeks ago there was a post about vintage items that didn't have a 'proper' hallmark but were simply marked silver/sterling. A quick check of the Assay Office site brought up the appropriate information.

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[Peter Brydon]

Thanks from me as well Mike.
P.

[KLR]

I have an officer's badge with assay marks;

LB&BCo, 925 within scales, 925, anchor = B’ham

I was told that the date stamp was discounted in 1998 in the UK - is this true ?

thanks

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by KLR

I have an officer's badge with assay marks;

LB&BCo, 925 within scales, 925, anchor = B’ham

I was told that the date stamp was discounted in 1998 in the UK - is this true ?

thanks

The date letter was classed as a "non-compulsory mark" in 1998/1999 but is still used by most Assay offices , some manufacturers choose not to use it on 'mass produced' silver items to cut down on costs.

From Sheffield Assay Office :

The sponsor's mark, fineness mark and the assay office mark are compulsory marks. The crown on gold, the lion passant for 925 silver, the Britannia mark for 958 silver and the orb for 950 platinum and the date letter in all cases are voluntary additional marks.

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