Assay office

Assay offices did and do exist in the U.S.,[1] but they are affiliated with the government's coinage mints and serve only the government's purposes in that field. They are not involved in hallmarking, as there has never been a hallmarking scheme in the U.S.

In the 1800s, the functions of assay offices in the U.S. included receiving bullion deposits from the public and from mining prospectors in the various American territories. The assay offices that still operate today function solely within national coining system (including bullion coinage for sales to investors).

Current U.S. assay offices include the following:[1]

• The Philadelphia Mint – 1792 to date
• The Denver Mint – 1862 to date. It served as an assay office until 1906, when coinage operations began.
• The San Francisco Mint – 1852 to date. Coinage operations were suspended in March 1955, but the plant continued to operate as an assay office. In 1962, its official designation was changed from mint to assay office. Coinage operations were again authorized in 1965.
• The West Point, New York Bullion Depository – 1938 to date. It is operated as an adjunct of the New York Assay Office.

• The Charlotte, North Carolina Mint – 1835 to 1861. After the Civil War, the plant was reopened in 1868 as an assay office until 1913, when it was ultimately closed.
• The New Orleans, Louisiana Mint – 1835 to 1942. Coinage operations were conducted here from 1838, but were suspended from 1861 until 1879; assay functions were performed from 1876. Coinage resumed in 1879 and continued until 1909. The facility operated as an assay office from 1909 until 1942, when it was closed.
• The U.S. Assay Office, St. Louis, Missouri – 1881 to 1911
• The U.S. Assay Office, Helena, Montana – 1874 to 1933
• The U.S. Assay Office, Salt Lake City, Utah – 1909 to 1933
• The U.S. Assay Office, Deadwood, South Dakota – 1898 to 1927
• The U.S. Assay Office, Boise, Idaho – 1869 to 1933
• The U.S. Assay Office, New York, New York – 1854 to 1982
• The U.S. Assay Office, Seattle, Washington – 1898 to 1955

In the United Kingdom, the Hallmarking Act 1973 makes it an offence to describe as platinum, gold or silver an item which is not hallmarked as appropriate or exempt from hallmarking. In July 2009, following a proposal by the British Hallmarking Council, an amendment to the Act also brought palladium under the hallmarking regime.[2]

The first UK assay office was Goldsmiths' Hall, founded around 1300, and where the term "hallmarking" originates, meaning "marked in Goldsmiths' Hall". Since then, there have been ten assay offices in the UK.

There are four remaining assay offices in the UK:[3]

• London Assay Office
• Sheffield Assay Office
• Birmingham Assay Office
• Edinburgh Assay Office

• Chester (closed 24 August 1962)
• Dublin (1801-1922 part of UK system – see Dublin Assay Office)
• Exeter (closed 1883)
• Glasgow (closed 31 March 1964)
• Newcastle (closed 1884)
• Norwich (closed 1702)
• York (closed 1857)

The Dutch (the Netherlands), who are members of the International Hallmarking Convention, have been striking hallmarks since at least 1814, and boast a 600-year history of hallmarking in Dutch territories. Like many other nations, the Dutch require the registration and use of Responsibility Marks since 1797. The Dutch also use a date letter code.

After the French defeat at Leipzig 1813 the Kingdom of the Netherlands was established. William VI, prince of Orange (known in Dutch as Willem Frederik), was proclaimed the sovereign. On March 15, 1815, with the support of the powers gathered at the Congress of Vienna, William proclaimed himself King William I of the Netherlands. He was also made grand duke of Luxembourg. The two countries remained separate despite sharing a common monarch. For our purposes, he retained much of the French legislation, including the precious metal guarantee law of November 9, 1787. On December 26, 1813, the precious metal laws were however, modified and the French hallmarks, the Gaul cockerels were replaced with Dutch lions. The existing guarantee offices were reopened after re-staffing and the production of the new hallmark dies. Willem abdicated in 1840. As of January 1, 1853, the out-of-date French guarantee law was replaced by a new Dutch law. This law of September 18, 1852, in a modified form (last modified in 1986 as the "Dutch Assay Law of 1986") is in still effective. As a result of the Benelux treaty the guarantee tax was abolished in 1953. At the same time gold and silver fineness standards were adapted to conform to international standards. Also the assaying of platinum was introduced in 1953.

In 1987, the assay system was privatized and since 1988 has been located in only an office at Gouda. The system is overseen by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs which appointed Edelmetaal Waarborg Nederland B.V. as of March 11, 2002. In 1999, the Netherlands ratified the Vienna Convention on the Control of the Fineness and the Hallmarking of Precious Metal Objects.

Dutch hallmarks are recognized in Austria, France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom without further testing and have also been recognized in Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, which have voluntary hallmarking systems. All jewelry produced in the Netherlands or imported for the Dutch market must carry hallmarks.

There are two Dutch assay offices located in the city of Gouda and Joure. The Dutch recognize platinum, gold, silver and palladium as precious metals.

Only precious metal watch cases must be hallmarked in Switzerland. Swiss hallmarking for other articles such as jewelry and cutlery is optional. In addition to the Swiss hallmark, all precious metal goods may be stamped with the Common Control Mark of the Vienna Convention. Switzerland recognizes platinum, gold, silver and palladium as precious metals which may be hallmarked and thus are subject to assay.