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The Hallmarking (Hallmarking Act Amendment) Regulations 1998

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Amendment of the Hallmarking Act 1973

2.—(1) The Hallmarking Act 1973 shall be amended as follows.

(2) In section 2, there shall be inserted after the words “United Kingdom is a party” in paragraph (c) of subsection (1), the words—

, or

(d)marks struck in an EEA State other than the United Kingdom, being marks which—

(i)have been struck by an independent body in accordance with the law of that State; and

(ii)provide information which is equivalent to the information provided by the marks mentioned in section 4(1)(a)(i) and (ii) of this Act and which is intelligible to consumers in the United Kingdom.

(3) In section 2, there shall be inserted at the end of subsection (2), the words—

  • , and marks within subsection (1)(d) above are in this Act called “EEA hallmarks”.

(4) In section 2, after subsection (2), there shall be inserted—

(2A) In this section “EEA State” means a Contracting Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992 as adjusted by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 17th March 1993.

(5) In section 2, for the words “such convention or treaty” in subsection (3) there shall be substituted “convention or treaty falling within subsection (1)(c) above”.

(6) In section 2, after the words “bears a convention hallmark” in subsection (5)(c) there shall be inserted the words “or an EEA hallmark”.

(7) In section 4, in subsection (1)(a), for sub-paragraph (iii), and the word “and” immediately preceding it, there shall be substituted—

(iii)the pictorial mark, or one of the pictorial marks, specified in paragraph 3 of the said Schedule as respects an article of the precious metal specified opposite thereto in column (1) of the said paragraph assaying to a standard of fineness specified in column (2) of the said paragraph and also so opposite;

(iv)the date letter directed pursuant to paragraph 4 of the said Schedule; and

(v)the mark (if any) directed pursuant to paragraph 5 of the said Schedule;.

(8) In section 4, for subsections (1A) and (2) there shall be substituted—

(2) Each of the approved hallmarks mentioned in subsection (1)(a)(iii), (iv) and (v) above shall be struck by an assay office on an article only if a request to that effect is made by the person who submits the article to the assay office; but the absence of any such approved hallmark on an article by virtue of this subsection shall not in itself render the article unhallmarked for the purposes of this Act.

(9) In section 4, after the figure “916.6” in subsection (3)(b)(i)(a), there shall be inserted the words “or above”.

(10) In section 4, for the figure “950” in subsection (3)(b)(iii) there shall be substituted “the standard of fineness of the article”.

(11) In section 4, subsection (4) shall be omitted.

(12) In section 22(1), there shall be inserted after the definition of “dealer”—

  • “EEA hallmark” has the meaning given by section 2 of this Act;.

(13) In section 22(1), in the definition of “minimum fineness” (contained within the definition of “fineness”), for the figure “925” there shall be substituted the figure “800” and for the figure “950” there shall be substituted the figure “850”.

(14) In section 22(1), in the definition of “sponsor’s mark” there shall be inserted after the words “as a sponsor’s mark for the purposes of this Act” in paragraph b(ii)—

; or

(c)a mark struck on an article in an EEA State which indicates the manufacturer or sponsor of the article;.

(15) For Part I of Schedule 2 there shall be substituted—

PART IARTICLES COMPRISED OF A SINGLE PRECIOUS METAL

1.  Assay office mark

Assay officeAssay office mark
(1)(2)
London…A leopard’s head
Edinburgh…A castle
Birmingham…An anchor
Sheffield…A rose

2.  Standard mark

Precious metalStandard of finenessStandard mark
(1)(2)(3)
Gold375The figures 375
Gold585The figures 585
Gold750The figures 750
Gold916.6The figures 916
Gold990The figures 990
Gold999The figures 999
Silver800The figures 800
Silver925The figures 925
Silver958.4The figures 958
Silver999The figures 999
Platinum850The figures 850
Platinum900The figures 900
Platinum950The figures 950
Platinum999The figures 999

3.  Optional pictorial mark

Precious metalStandard of finenessPictorial mark
(1)(2)(3)
Gold375A crown
Gold585A crown
Gold750A crown
Gold916.6A crown
Gold990A crown
Gold999A crown
Silver925A lion passant. In the case of an article struck by the Edinburgh Assay Office, the reference to a lion passant shall be treated as a reference to a lion rampant.
Silver958.4The figure of Britannia or a lion passant. In the case of an article struck by the Edinburgh Assay Office, the reference to a lion passant shall be treated as a reference to a lion rampant.
Silver999The figure of Britannia or a lion passant. In the case of an article struck by the Edinburgh Assay Office, the reference to a lion passant shall be treated as a reference to a lion rampant.
Platinum950An orb surmounted by a cross
Platinum999An orb surmounted by a cross

4.  Optional date letter

Such distinct variable letter of the alphabet to denote the year in which the article is marked as may be for the time being directed in writing by the Council.

5.  Optional additional mark

Such mark (if any) as may be for the time being directed in writing by the Council.

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