Year Letter 'v' Birmingham

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yorkish
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2020 8:51 am

Year Letter 'v' Birmingham

Post by yorkish »

I have a simple gold wedding band.
The marks are reasonably clear, indicating 9 carat gold from the Birmingham office
Year letter v (lower or upper case?)

I can't differentiate between 1920 and 1945 from the font style of the v
and also, why is the shield rectangular with chamfers, when the tables seem to suggest that both the 1920 and 1945 shields should have fluted bases?

What is the mark on the right hand side? It looks like an oval shaped '0' (zero). Could it be an apprentice mark.
And what does the letter 'M' signify to the left of the marks?

And finally, the sponsor's mark C G & S Could it be Charles Green & Son, although all the examples i've found just show as C G

Many thanks.
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dognose
Site Admin
Posts: 59003
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:53 pm
Location: England

Re: Year Letter 'v' Birmingham

Post by dognose »

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

It's 1945 because it benefits from the additional Government Utility mark, strictly speaking, it's not a hallmark, but a mark applied by the Assay Offices by order of the British Government.

This mark, two intersecting circles within a rectangle, was struck on plain 9ct wedding bands. The Government issued strict guidelines as to how the item was manufactured.

The mark was in use for eleven years, from 1942 until 1953.

Most guides show marks that were struck on silver items, but at certain times, and with certain offices, the cartouches on gold items can differ.

Trev.
dognose
Site Admin
Posts: 59003
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:53 pm
Location: England

Re: Year Letter 'v' Birmingham

Post by dognose »

Sorry, I forgot to mention, the 'M' is most likely to be a size indication mark, and yes, Charles Green & Son is the likely manufacturer.

Trev.
yorkish
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2020 8:51 am

Re: Year Letter 'v' Birmingham

Post by yorkish »

Wow, you guys are really quick with your responses.
Thanks Trev, the information you have provided is really helpful for me.
The 1945 date does actually make more sense than 1920 date, when tied in with the known history of the ring.
I'd not been able to find any information about the utility mark myself, so that was very helpful also.

Once again, many thanks.
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