The
Birmingham Assay Office was opened in 1773 and
operated from rooms above the King's Head public
house in New Street. Determined lobbying by
Matthew Boulton and the industrialists had secured
Birmingham the right to its own assay office.
Previously the nearest office had been Chester
and goods had to be sent there for hallmarking.
With a growing jewellery quarter this infuriated
the traders.
The current building in Newhall Street was built
in 1877. The Assay Office Birmingham mark is
that of an anchor which may seem strange considering
that Birmingham is so far from the coast. It
is thought to have originated from the name
of the Crown and Anchor public house where much
of the committee work took place in petitioning
Parliament.
The role of the Assay Office is to test and
analyse the content of precious metals and to ensure
the quality of the product before it is sold,
thereby guaranteeing the authenticity of the
precious metals content and quality. Assaying
is the weighing of a sample for purity purposes.
With gold in the UK this takes the form of four
legal standards of purity which are 9, 14, 18
and 22 carats.
British Hallmarks are respected around the world
for their accuracy and authenticity and hallmarking
is essential to protect the consumer. Strict
laws apply to traders who do not follow the
rules.
See also the
Birmingham Mint.
