Hallmarking
no goldsmith … shall from henceforth make or cause to be made any manner of vessel, jewel or any other thing of gold or silver except it be of the true alloy [...] and that no manner of vessel of silver depart out of the hands of the workers, until further, that it be marked with the leopard's head.
Hallmarking continues to provide guarantees over seven hundred years later:
Who?
Michael Ford's MF maker's mark, which references the light entering a daguerreotype camera.
What?
The oval hallmark represents the metal and its fineness. Each daguerreotype is made of approximately 65 grams of 99.9% pure solid silver.
Where?
The leopard's head has signified the London Assay Office since 1300.
When?
The alphabetical code for the year: u = 2019, v = 2020, w = 2021, x = 2022 ...
Dealer's notice
Download the official dealer's notice (pdf 909KB)