Many of the larger firms such as George Jensen, Hans Hansen and Carl Cohr, rarely had official assay marks on their silverware and jewelry, no doubt these names inspired trust and their customer base did not require the added credence of state control marks. A slightly different version of the "three-tower" was adopted and is now in use.Įxamining the marks on many pieces of 20th century Danish silver, it becomes apparent that adherence to the marking law was either at the discretion of the maker or very lax in enforcement. In articles with silver content of at least 925 per mille silver, the fineness may solely be given the designation "STERLING" (a practice largely used for silver made for export). Mark "800" (or any other higher value as 925) may be followed by the letter "S"). In 1988 Denmark became member of the Hallmarking Convention and a revised version of the national control mark was introduced. Georg Jensen and other major Danish manufacturers added a further mark identifying the designer
In 1988 the assay master's mark was discontinued.ġ Assayer's mark: Simon Groth, 1863-1904 - 2 Assayer's mark: Christian F. On a voluntary base, silver items could be assayed in Copenhagen and marked with the assay master's mark and the national control mark. 826 unless a higher standard was indicated (from about 1911 Danish silversmiths began using. 826 fineness mark were requested along with the "Three-tower" mark. In 1893 the "Three-tower" mark of Copenhagen was adopted as the national mark in the new standardized hallmarking system.Ĭopenhagen had the only Assay Office in Denmark. Later, other cities as Aalbotg, Aarhus, Odense and Viborg introduced their own mark as a guarantee of precious metals. The first Danish hallmarking was made in Copenhagen at the end of the 15th century. The Danish hallmarking system is organized on a voluntary base. In some countries, the testing of precious metal objects and marking of purity is controlled by a national assay office.ĭepending on the national legislation the use of hallmarks may be compulsory, voluntary or provided by a manufacturer's declaration. The Goldsmiths' Hall was the headquarters of the Goldsmiths' Company and the home of the Assay Office. The word "HALLMARK" derives from the fact that, since the 16th century, precious metals were sent to the London Goldsmiths' Hall for testing to ensure that the correct standard of silver had been used. DENMARK SILVER HALLMARKS A SMALL COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVERĮUROPEAN COUNTRIES SILVER AND GOLD HALLMARKS DENMARK A silver or gold object that is to be sold commercially is, in most countries, stamped with one or more hallmarks indicating the purity of the metal and the mark of the manufacturer or silversmith