A letter opener

[amena]

I was given this gold mounted ivory paper knife.



It has the mark of Hilliard & Thomason of Birmingham, but the dateletter is very worn and I can not decipher it
Can anyone give me a hint?
Thanks
Amena

[AG2012]

Hi,
I think itş letter ‚‚Z‚‚ for 1899.
Regards

[amena]

1899 makes sense, but the monarch's head was no longer used on that date. What then is that mark that can be seen on the left?

[AG2012]

It`s number ``9`` for nine carats gold.

Gold mark on a article made of 9 carats gold bearing the Birmingham hallmarks for 1899.
Regards

[amena]

Great! Now everything is clear, many thanks.
Amena