Reading hallmarks

How to read Sheffield silver hallmarks

By the Sortwell team · Updated 9 November 2026 · 4 min read

A canteen of old silver cutlery in an open wooden box lined with worn green baize on a kitchen table.

Short answer: On Sheffield silver hallmarks, a crown was the town mark from 1773 until the 1970s, and a rose has been used since. You'll normally find a walking lion for sterling silver, a maker's mark and a date letter alongside it. Sheffield's early letters don't follow the alphabet, so use a chart. Words like "Sheffield plate" mean plated metal, which is not hallmarked silver.

On this page

The crown and the rose
Sheffield silver or Sheffield plate?
Sheffield's date letter cycles
What Sheffield silver is worth
Common questions

Sheffield's name is everywhere on old cutlery, and much of it isn't silver. Reading the marks properly will show you which is which, and our guide to reading silver hallmarks covers the basics if this is all new to you.

The crown and the rose

The Sheffield Assay Office was set up under the same Act as Birmingham's, and it marked its first piece on 20 September 1773. Its mark for silver was a crown. In 1904 it began assaying gold too, using a rose as the town mark for gold, so for a while Sheffield had two marks.

The Hallmarking Act ended that arrangement. Sheffield lost its crown after 200 years and has used the rose for both metals since.

If you see	It tells you
A crown and a walking lion	Sheffield sterling silver, older than about 1975
A rose and a 925 or walking lion	Sheffield silver, marked since then
A crown beside a carat number	Probably gold, because a crown also marks gold of 18 carat or more

For the last row, look closely at the other marks. Our gold hallmarks guide explains the crown on gold.

Sheffield silver or Sheffield plate?

It's easy to mix these up. Old Sheffield Plate is copper with a layer of silver fused on, and it doesn't have hallmarks. Electroplate, marked EPNS or similar, came later and also isn't solid silver. A piece stamped "Sheffield" or "Made in Sheffield" tells you where it came from and nothing about what it's made of.

A silver piece marked in Sheffield has both a town mark and a fineness mark, either a walking lion or 925, so look for the two together.

Sheffield's date letter cycles

Sheffield's early date letters are unusual, because they weren't chosen in alphabetical order. Up to 1823 counting along the alphabet won't help, so you'll need a letter-by-letter chart. After that, the cycles work much as they do elsewhere, though some letters are left out.

For Sheffield we've relied on one source, Mozeris Fine Antiques' chart, which is checked against Jackson's reference work. If a date matters, check it against Jackson's or Bradbury's.

Cycle	Letter style	Outline	Note
1773 to 1798	Old English capitals, then a mixture	Square or oblong	Out of order
1799 to 1823	Roman capitals	Square or oblong	Out of order
1824 to 1843	Roman small letters	Oblong	Leaves out i, j, n, o, w, y
1844 to 1867	Roman capitals	Oblong, clipped corners	No J or Q
1868 to 1892	Roman capitals	Oblong, truncated corners	No I, J used
1893 to 1917	Old English small letters	Oblong, clipped corners	No j
1918 to 1942	Roman small letters	Shield, pointed base	No j
1943 to 1967	Roman capitals	Shield, cut corners	No J
1968 to 1974	Court-hand letters	Shield	Cut short by the 1975 change

From 1815 to 1819, Sheffield struck its crown upside down, to separate a letter X from 1817 from the one used in 1797. Odd as it is, that detail can help you identify a piece from those years.

Before 1975 Sheffield's year didn't begin in January, so one letter can cover parts of two calendar years. That changed in 1975, and every UK office has since used one shared letter that changes on 1 January. The main hallmarks guide has that table.

What Sheffield silver is worth

Sheffield is best known for cutlery and tableware. A canteen of solid silver can be worth a substantial sum for its weight alone, so check each piece before you assume it's plate. Weigh a whole set, and remember that knives often have handles filled with other material, so their weight is misleading.

You can look up sold prices with our guide to valuing antiques, and how to sell antiques compares your options. Silver from an estate will need a figure for probate as well.

Common questions

What does a crown mean on silver?

On British silver, a crown is the old town mark of the Sheffield Assay Office, used until the 1970s. On gold, a crown is a standard mark. Check the other marks to see which you have.

What does a rose mean on silver?

A rose is the modern town mark of the Sheffield Assay Office, used on silver since the change from the crown in the 1970s.

Is Sheffield plate real silver?

It has a layer of silver on it, but it isn't solid silver. Old Sheffield Plate is copper with silver fused to it, and it doesn't carry British hallmarks.

How do I date Sheffield silver?

A Sheffield chart will give you the year once you've found the date letter. From 1824 you can usually work it out by cycle, allowing for missing letters. For earlier pieces you'll need a letter-by-letter chart, because the letters weren't used in order.

Sources

This guide is general information for people in England and Wales. The rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland can differ. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice, and Sortwell isn't a law firm or a valuer. If an estate is complicated or there's a disagreement, talk to a solicitor. Figures were checked on the date above.