History of the Assay Office.
The Dublin Assay Office was established in 1637 to assay and hallmark all items of gold and silver manufactured throughout the whole of Ireland. Originally, hallmarks consisted of the maker's mark used to identify the silversmith or goldsmith responsible for making the article, the fineness mark and the crowned harp which was applied to 22ct gold and sterling silver (925 parts of fine silver in each 1000).
In 1638 a date letter system was introduced and used in conjunction with the above marks. This date letter denotes the year in which the piece is made or hallmarked and it changes each year. A new mark in the form of Hibernia was introduced on 25 March 1730 to indicate that a duty had been paid on all articles manufactured on or after that date. The Hibernia mark is now the mark of the Dublin Assay Office used on all articles hallmarked.
Up until 1922, the Dublin Assay Office was subjected to the same laws as in England and Scotland, and thus marked its wares in a similar manner. The formation of the Irish Free State in 1922 meant that from that date the laws were made and governed from Dublin, but the system of hallmarking has largely stayed the same.
If you would like to learn more about the history of the Dublin Assay Office or require additional information on any of the services we provide please don't hesitate to contact our office.