The Sheffield Assay Office is one of the four remaining assay offices in the United Kingdom, the other three being in London, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.
History
In 1773, Sheffield's silversmiths joined with those of Birmingham to petition Parliament for the establishment of assay offices in their respective cities. while Birmingham took the anchor. Originally, only silver produced within twenty miles of Sheffield could be marked at the office. From 1784, Sheffield was empowered to keep a register of all maker's marks within one hundred miles, including those of Birmingham.
right|thumb|Sheffield Assay Office, October 2008
In 1795, after several moves, an office was established on Fargate. In 1880 it moved to Leopold Street, and in 1958 to Portobello Street. In May 2007 it was announced that the office would move to a new purpose-built site on Beulah Road in Owlerton, where is it now based.
In 1977, Sheffield's mark was changed to the White Rose of York, and it became the last office to standardise its date letters.
References
External links
- History of the Sheffield Assay Office