Duty mark (sovereign’s head)
The sovereign’s head in a British hallmark, showing that duty was paid on the piece between 1784 and 1890.
How to read it
Chaffers dates the duty mark, the head of the reigning sovereign, to 1784, when it began to show that the new duty on plate had been paid, and records that it was discontinued in 1890, when the duty on silver plate was abolished. Jackson lists the sovereign’s head as the last of the marks found on London plate.
Also searched as: king’s head hallmark, queen’s head hallmark, sovereign’s head mark.
A stamp is a claim about the metal, made by whoever struck it. This page says what each mark means under the rules that define it; it doesn’t test or value anything.
Dating a piece by the duty mark
Because the mark was used only between 1784 and 1890, it narrows the date of any piece that carries it, before the date letter is read.
More jewellery marks
Sources
- Hall Marks on Gold & Silver Plate (Chaffers, 1922), William Chaffers, Hall Marks on Gold & Silver Plate, 1922 edition, Internet Archive (scan), Duty mark
- English Goldsmiths and Their Marks (Jackson, 1905), Charles James Jackson, English Goldsmiths and Their Marks, 1905, Internet Archive (Cornell University Library scan), Marks on London plate
Last reviewed September 27, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research