TL;DR The Chester assay office mark is three wheatsheaves around an upright sword, used from 1779. Chester became an official assay town by Act of Parliament in 1701 and closed on 24 August 1962. Much of its late work was watch cases for the Lancashire trade, so Chester marks are common on pocket watches.
Three wheatsheaves set around an upright sword is the Chester assay office mark from 1779, taken from the city's arms. Regular marking with a town mark and date letter began around 1686, and an Act of 1701 made Chester an official assay town alongside York, Exeter, Bristol, Norwich and Newcastle. The office closed on 24 August 1962.
What does the Chester hallmark look like?
From 1779 the Chester mark shows three wheatsheaves with a sword standing upright between them, on a shield. Before 1779 the mark combined three demi-lions with a wheatsheaf. On sterling, the town mark sits with the lion passant, a maker's mark, a date letter and, from 1784 to 1890, the sovereign's head duty mark.
Before 1720 Chester, like London, struck Britannia standard marks on higher-standard silver. Many Chester marks you will meet are on pocket-watch cases from Liverpool and Lancashire casemakers, for whom Chester was the nearest office.
How do Chester date letters work?
Chester date letters run in cycles from 1701, each with its own letter style. In the early 1700s new punches came in each July; from 1839 to 1889 the letter changed on 5 August; from about 1890 it changed on 1 July. Every Chester letter therefore spans two calendar years, like 1875 to 1876.
| Years | Letters |
|---|---|
| 1701 to 1725 | A to Z, no J |
| 1726 to 1750 | A to Z, J used in place of I |
| 1751 to 1775 | Mixed case |
| 1776 to 1796 | a to v |
| 1797 to 1817 | A to V, no J |
| 1818 to 1838 | A to U |
| 1839 to 1863 | A to Z, no J |
| 1864 to 1883 | a to u |
| 1884 to 1900 | A to R |
| 1901 to 1962 | Later cycles until closure |
Why did the Chester Assay Office close?
Chester closed on 24 August 1962 because its main trade had gone. The Lancashire watch industry that sent cases to Chester collapsed under Swiss and American factory competition in the decades around 1900, and that work had largely dried up by the 1920s. Work moved to Birmingham, and skilled staff retired without replacements.
How do you date a Chester-marked piece?
- Confirm the wheatsheaves and sword (1779 onward) or the earlier lions-and-wheatsheaf form.
- Check for the sovereign's head duty mark, which means 1784 to 1890.
- Match the date letter style to a Chester table, allowing for the July or August changeover.
- Any Chester mark means the piece was assayed in 1962 or earlier.
Other offices: London , Birmingham , Sheffield , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Dublin . All seven compared on the assay office marks page.
Sources
- Chester hallmarks (date tables after Jackson, 1921)
- Chester date letter charts, silvercollection.it
- Hallmark, Wikipedia
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Chester hallmark look like?
The Chester hallmark from 1779 shows three wheatsheaves with an upright sword between them on a shield, taken from the city's arms. Earlier Chester marks combine three demi-lions with a wheatsheaf. On sterling it appears with the lion passant, a maker's mark and a date letter.
When did the Chester Assay Office close?
The Chester Assay Office closed on 24 August 1962. Its main business, hallmarking watch cases for the Lancashire watch trade, had collapsed in the early 20th century under Swiss and American competition. A Chester mark therefore means a piece was assayed in 1962 or earlier.
Why are Chester marks common on pocket watches?
Liverpool and Lancashire watchmakers had no assay office of their own, and Chester, about 20 miles from Liverpool, was the nearest place they could legally have silver and gold cases tested. Watch cases became much of Chester's work in the 19th century until the Lancashire trade declined.
