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Industrial Action will affect both postal and tube services on Monday 6 June - our services may be affected

Royal Mail has informed us that there is planned industrial action by their collection team on Monday 6 June. It is unlikely that the post will leave Goldsmiths' Hall on that day so there will be a delay in parcels reaching you. 

In addition, on the same day, London Underground workers from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will stage 24-hour walkouts in a dispute over jobs and pensions. It is expected that this strike will cause severe disruption and the closure of many Tube stations - if our teams can't get to work, or are delayed, our services may be affected. 

Date Published: 30 May 2022

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Make Your Mark Kid's Competition

Kids across the UK are being encouraged to get crafty over the Platinum Jubilee weekend by creating their own maker’s mark, as part of the Jubilee celebrations. The Make Your Mark Kid’s Competition, launched by the Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office (London Assay Office), is open to anyone aged 10 and under.

Date Published: 27 May 2022

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Lord Bridges becomes new Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company

  • Mark Bridges, KCVO, (Lord Bridges), former Private Solicitor to the Queen and a legal expert with an international reputation, has become Prime Warden (chairs the Board) of the Goldsmiths’ Company. 
  • Mark is the 695th Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company – a new Prime Warden is elected every year.  
  • Mark currently holds a number of international non-executive roles as well as remaining Senior Counsel to Farrer & Co. 
  • Mark became a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company and of the City of London in 1991, a Liveryman in 2000, and joined the Company’s Court of Assistants (Board-equivalent) in 2006. 

Date Published: 26 May 2022

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Hallmarking Awareness and Learning Online (HALO) award

The British Hallmarking Council, in collaboration with The National Association of Jewellers have launched the Hallmarking Awareness and Learning Online (HALO) Award to recognise excellence in the promotion of hallmarking.

The award will be won by the most effective online initiative relating to the display of the new Digital Dealers Notice and the education surrounding British Hallmarking.

Date Published: 12 May 2022

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Counter hours - Queen’s Platinum Jubilee extended bank holiday

A special extended bank holiday weekend to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee takes place from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June 2022. This means we will close earlier on Wednesday 1 June, details as follows:

The counter at Goldsmiths’ Hall will close on Wednesday 1 June at 4pm.  The office will reopen on Monday 6 June at 10am.

The counter at Greville Street will close on Wednesday 1 June at 4pm.  The office will reopen on Monday 6 June at 9am.

Date Published: 11 May 2022

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Chancellor receives positive verdict on the nation’s coinage

  • Chancellor Rishi Sunak received a positive verdict on this year’s Trial of the Pyx - as Master of the Mint he is held responsible for the result of the Trial, one of the UK’s oldest judicial processes that protects consumers and ensures the quality of the nation’s coinage is upheld.
  • The Trial of the Pyx is the oldest form of independent quality control still in use today, first recorded in 1248, to ensure the quality and accuracy of the nation’s coinage. The Queen’s Beasts 10kg gold coin is the largest coin to have ever been submitted to the Trial.
  • A Jury made up of members of the Goldsmiths’ Company, confirmed that British coins had once again met regulatory standards. 
  • The Verdict is the last stage of the annual Trial, which started in January and is presided over by the Queen’s Remembrancer, an ancient judicial post.
  • The Trial has been held at Goldsmiths’ Hall continuously since 1871.

Date Published: 06 May 2022

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Hallmark as Hero

Sophia Tobin, Goldsmiths' Company Deputy Librarian, recounts the enduring necessity and appeal of the hallmark:  In the Goldsmiths’ Company’s library, we see a lot of heirlooms. Images of brooches, spoons and soup tureens wing their way to us with the question ‘can you tell me the story of this?’. It isn’t always within our power to tell those enquirers exactly what they want to know - how their grandparents met, for example. But, if we have a clear hallmark, we can tell where and when a piece was marked; who made it or brought it for hallmarking; and what fineness of metal it is. This slightly different story might not be romantic, but it is important, with its roots far back in a time of chivalry. It is a story of justice and protection which has endured through many challenges, including the disruptions of today’s world.

Date Published: 03 May 2022

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