Birmingham Assay Office

Some of you may be aware that the Birmingham Assay Office (BAO) has opened a branch in Mumbai, India and that the Birmingham anchor mark is being used in hallmarks on locally produced silver items. While there is no suggestion that these items are sub-standard it means that there is no way of distinguishing the items from those hallmarked in Birmingham. A group of Birmingham silversmiths is opposing the use of an identical hallmark and is asking interested parties to sign a petition to parliament in order to make the BAO use a different mark for Mumbai assayed silver. If you are in favour of a ban and are a British citizen or UK resident the petition can be found at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/162103