Dublin Date Letters

Click on the letter you want to date or on a date letter cycle (column) in the table below to see a larger view (scroll down for earlier dates):

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Dublin Hallmarks

The Dublin Assay Office was established in 1637 to assay and hallmark all gold and silver produced in Ireland. Originally the hallmark comprised a maker's mark and a fineness mark, the crowned harp, applied to sterling silver and 22 carat gold. Date letters were first used on Dublin silver in 1638 although during the 17th century the recording of date letters was somewhat arbitrary; it is therefore not possible to be certain about all date letters. The Hibernia mark was introduced on 25 March 1730 to indicate that duty had been paid on the item. In 1807, when the duty mark became the sovereign's head, the Assay Office adopted Hibernia as a town mark for Dublin.