Hallmarking Act 1973

6 Counterfeiting, etc. of dies and marks

(1) Any person who—

(a) with intent to defraud or deceive, makes a counterfeit of any die or mark ; or

(b) removes any mark from an article of precious metal with intent to transpose it to any other article (whether of precious metal or not) or affixes to any article (whether of precious metal or not) any mark which has been removed from an article of precious metal; or

(c) utters any counterfeit of a die or any article bearing a counterfeit of a mark ; or

(d) without lawful authority or excuse, has in his custody or under his control anything which is, and which he knows or believes to be, a counterfeit of a die or an article (whether of precious metal or not) which bears a counterfeit of any mark,

shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £400, or on conviction on indictment to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

(2) In subsection (1) above—

• “die ” means the whole or part of any plate, tool or instrument by means whereof any mark of the nature of a sponsor's mark or a hallmark is struck on any metal; and

• “mark ” means any mark of the nature of a sponsor's mark or hallmark.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (1) above, a person utters any counterfeit die or article bearing a counterfeit of a mark if, knowing or believing the die or mark, as the case may be, to be a counterfeit, he supplies, offers to supply, or delivers the die or article.

(4) Sections 5(4)(b), 8(2)(a) and 16(2)(d) of the [1913 c. 27.] Forgery Act 1913, and so much of section 6 of that Act as relates to any die used for the marking or stamping of gold or silver plate, or gold or silver wares, shall cease to have effect.