TL;DR The Glasgow assay office mark is the city arms: a tree with a fish across the trunk and a bell on a branch. The office ran from 1819 until 31 March 1964. Glasgow sterling carries a lion rampant, joined by a thistle from 1914. Its date letters ran in their own cycles, so a Glasgow piece needs a Glasgow table.
The Glasgow mark shows the city's arms: a tree, a fish laid across its trunk and a bell hanging from a branch. An Act of 1819 constituted the Glasgow Goldsmiths' Company with powers modelled on Edinburgh's and an assay district of Glasgow and 40 miles around. The office struck its last mark on 31 March 1964.
What marks appear on Glasgow silver?
Glasgow silver from 1819 carries the tree, fish and bell town mark, a lion rampant as the sterling standard mark, a maker's mark and a date letter. Until 1890 a sovereign's head duty mark appears too. From 1914 a thistle joins the lion rampant, so a Glasgow piece with both lion and thistle dates from 1914 to 1964.
Before 1819 Glasgow had no regular office. Makers struck their own town-mark punches, sometimes with a letter S, and from 1784 those who needed a legal mark generally sent work to Edinburgh. Those pre-1819 marks are irregular and need a specialist reference.
How do Glasgow date letters work?
Glasgow date letters from 1819 run in regular cycles, each with its own letter style. The first, from 1819 to 1845, used Roman capitals A to Z with both I and J. Sources differ on whether the letter changed in July or autumn, so treat each letter as covering parts of two calendar years.
| Years | Letters |
|---|---|
| c.1681 to 1706 | Blackletter lower case, partly conjectured |
| 1706 to 1813 | No regular cycle |
| 1819 to 1845 | Roman capitals A to Z |
| 1845 to 1871 | Blackletter capitals |
| 1871 to 1897 | Block capitals |
| 1897 to 1921 | Script capitals A to Y |
| 1922 to 1964 | Later cycles until closure |
When did the Glasgow Assay Office close?
The Glasgow Assay Office struck its last mark and closed on 31 March 1964. Scottish assaying returned to Edinburgh alone, as it had been between 1710 and 1819, when Glasgow makers who needed a legal mark sent their work east. A Glasgow town mark therefore fixes a piece to 1964 or earlier.
How do you date a Glasgow-marked piece?
- Confirm the tree, fish and bell, and the lion rampant.
- A thistle beside the lion means 1914 to 1964; a sovereign's head means 1819 to 1890.
- Match the date letter's style to a Glasgow table, not an Edinburgh one.
Other offices: London , Birmingham , Sheffield , Edinburgh , Chester , Dublin . All seven compared on the assay office marks page.
Sources
- Glasgow hallmarks (date tables after Jackson, 1921)
- Glasgow date letter charts, silvercollection.it
- Edinburgh Assay Office, Wikipedia
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Glasgow hallmark?
The Glasgow hallmark is the city's coat of arms: a tree with a fish across its trunk and a bell hanging from a branch. It was struck by the Glasgow Assay Office from 1819 until it closed on 31 March 1964, usually beside a lion rampant standard mark and a date letter.
When did the Glasgow Assay Office close?
The Glasgow Assay Office struck its last mark and closed on 31 March 1964. After that, Edinburgh became the only assay office in Scotland. Any piece with the Glasgow tree, fish and bell mark was therefore assayed between 1819 and 1964, or carries an irregular earlier maker's town mark.
Why does Glasgow silver have a lion rampant and a thistle?
Glasgow used the lion rampant as its sterling standard mark from 1819. In 1914 a thistle was added beside it. So Glasgow silver with only the lion rampant dates from 1819 to 1913, and silver with both lion and thistle dates from 1914 until the office closed in 1964.
